Lang Son Customs: Enhancing clearance capacity through diplomatic channel

According to Lang Son Customs Department, Lang Son province has issued many documents about the large congestion of goods waiting for export as well as measures for Covid-19 pandemic prevention. However, the volume of goods gathering at border gates of Lang Son province has continued to increase. This led to cargo congestion.

It led to overloading at yards at the border gates, it is difficult to arrange more space, affecting export activities, goods quality, increasing times of exports as well as costs and difficulty for pandemic prevention and arranging means of transport.

If the clearance capacity at the border gate is only about 300 trucks per day, at present, the number of trucks moving to the border gate has exceeded the clearance ability of the two countries. Meanwhile, at sub-border gates such as Binh Nghi, Na Hinh, Na Nua, Po Nhung, Coc Nam, Co Sau and Ban Chat on the China side are close and have not re-opened yet.

Up to now, in Lang Son province, there is only Huu Nghi international border gate maintaining clearance activities, but the amount of goods cleared is slow.

The phenomenon of goods rushing to the border gate in large quantities is partly due to the lack of coordination and appropriate regulations of goods from export enterprises in the localities, causing congestion at the border gate areas. This affects customs clearance activities, causing difficulties and limiting the capacity of goods clearance through border gates in Lang Son province.

Lang Son Customs Department added that, according to the announcement of the Chinese authorities, it expects to suspend imports before and after the Lunar New Year for 14 days for refrigerated vehicles to prepare for work before and after Tet, if so, it would affect the exports of agricultural products of Vietnam.

In order to promptly solve the congestion of goods at border gates, Lang Son Customs Department coordinated with the relevant authorities to seriously and drastically implement pandemic prevention measures, especially at the border gate area; direct border-gate customs branches in the locality to channel agricultural products for export at congestion points. At the same time, guiding businesses and shippers to register the electronic declarations in advance so that clearance procedures are faster and more convenient.

Regularly update the situation, provide information and timely recommendations to enterprises exporting agricultural products through border gates in the province.

Coordinating and regulating the number of goods arriving at the border gate, reducing the pressure on infrastructure, pandemic prevention work as well as limiting the costs incurred for businesses and traders; promptly grasping the difficulties and problems of people and businesses to offer support and handling measures.

In particular, in the past few days, Lang Son Customs has actively coordinated with competent agencies and forces at the border gate to exchange information with the Chinese side to strengthen clearance capacity and settle the current congestion.

However, to make clearance activities be more efficient and to completely solve the ongoing congestion of goods, Lang Son Customs Department proposed the General Department of Vietnam Customs recommend ministries and sectors to discuss with the Chinese side through diplomatic channels about measures to increase clearance capacity at border gates in order to facilitate goods circulation on the land border of the two countries.

Thereby solving the current congestion to minimize damage to people and businesses of both sides, especially during the peak of the Lunar New Year 2022 when the demand for goods trading and exchange increases.

At the same time, it is requested that ministries and sectors inform industry associations about the actual situation at border gates in Lang Son province so that they can take appropriate measures to regulate them before bringing goods and vehicles to the border gates of Lang Son.