Lang Son offers measures to improve cargo clearance capacity

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Still ensuring clearance

According to the assessment of the Management Board of Dong Dang - Lang Son Border Gate Economic Zone, in the first five months of the year, import and export activities at five border gates in Lang Son province always ensure smoothness, stability and growth with very high clearance efficiency. The average number of vehicles passing customs clearance through the border gates is over 1,100 per day, even over 1,200 during the peak period. Total trade turnover (including all types such as temporary import, re-export, border-gate transfer, bonded warehouse, transit, and processing) reached over US$17,440 million.

In particular, the Management Board of Dong Dang - Lang Son Border Gate Economic Zone coordinated with the relevant departments and authorities of the province to hold talks and reach an agreement with the Chinese authorities from February 20, 2023, to restore the import and export activities and traditional methods of goods delivery as before the Covid-19 pandemic at Huu Nghi international border gate.

Customs clearance at Tan Thanh border gate is still smooth. Photo: H Nu

In particular, the two sides agreed to extend the working time to 20 hours (Hanoi time) to focus on dealing with vehicles without goods to return to their home country and increasing the number of vehicles going through customs clearance in a day and prevent congestion in the border gate area. The two sides have also agreed to reopen the Ta Phu tunnel to arrange a separate channel for vehicles without goods of the two sides to move through the import-export route in the area 1116-1117, separating the import-export cargo lane.

Mr. Hoang Khanh Duy, Deputy Head of the Management Board of Dong Dang - Lang Son Border Gate Economic Zone, said that the clearance efficiency at the border gates is, on average, 750 vehicles/day. The means of transporting export goods at Huu Nghi border gate area are about 450 vehicles. When the number of vehicles carrying agricultural products and fruits exceeds the capacity to receive at the border gate, they will be transported to the non-tariff area with a capacity of about 800 to 1,000 vehicles.

And at Tan Thanh border gate, from March 9, 2023, Lang Son side has agreed with Chinese authorities, Vietnamese drivers and accompanying people have been directly allowed to bring goods across the border to the yards outside the border gate area of the Chinese side to load and deliver goods.

In particular, the Management Board of the Dong Dang - Lang Son border gate economic zone and the Lang Son Customs Department held talks and exchanges with Chinese authorities to extend the clearance time at Huu Nghi (Vietnam) - Huu Nghi Quan (China) international border gate pair; create favorable conditions for durian export through the Tan Thanh (Vietnam) - Po Chai (China) border gate, reducing the load on the international border gates of the two sides.

It is forecast that the demand for trade in goods through Huu Nghi and Tan Thanh border gates in the near future will increase dramatically because the peak time in the harvest season of fruits and agricultural products of Vietnam and 3rd countries. At the same time, according to the announcement, the Chinese side has completed the provincial acceptance test for the official operation of the dedicated regional freight route 1088/2-1089 landmark at Tan Thanh (Vietnam) - Po Chai (China) border gate pair, which becomes an opening of the Huu Nghi (Vietnam) - Huu Nghi Quan (China) international border gate pair.

Series of specific solutions, tasks

At the physical inspection of the import and export situation of goods through Huu Nghi international border gate and Tan Thanh border gate on June 7, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Lang Son province Doan Thu Ha requested, the Management Board of Dong Dang border gate economic zone - Lang Son continues to chair and coordinate with relevant agencies to carry out external fairs with Bang Tuong (China) on customs clearance of goods through pairs of border gates.

Especially increasing the clearance time of the day, optimizing the process of inspection and control of vehicles and goods; developing a plan to arrange officers to regulate, separate traffic, arrange means of transport of goods on the peak periods of agricultural product export, promptly solving arising problems, and creating favorable conditions for goods through the border gate.

Huu Nghi Customs arranged officials to carry out import-export procedures for enterprises until 11pm. Photo: H.Nu

Lang Son Customs Department continues to promote reform of customs procedures and support and create conditions for businesses; proactively review and advise provincial leaders on mechanisms, policies, and management of import and export activities; strengthen dissemination for enterprises to accelerate the completion of documents and customs clearance procedures according to regulations.

Border guards at the border gates proactively channel vehicles and ensure security and order in the border gate area. People's Committees of Cao Loc and Van Lang districts are responsible for coordinating with relevant agencies in regulating and arranging import and export vehicles.

Lang Son Department of Industry and Trade is in charge of grasping and promptly informing other Departments of Industry and Trade nationwide about the import-export situation through border gates in the province. In addition, Lang Son Department of Industry and Trade has strengthened the forecasting of the situation of agricultural products exported through the province.

Quarantine agencies strengthen inspection, control and quarantine safety for export goods, especially fruits and agricultural products of Vietnam, ensuring compliance with the common regulations of the two countries; timely report and propose to the province and the managing unit to have recommendations to ensure the standard code of the growing area of fruit and agricultural products for export of Vietnam. At the same time, quarantine agencies coordinate with Lang Son Department of Industry and Trade to promote communication on export conditions to the Chinese market.

Lang Son Department of Industry and Trade continues to grasp the situation, remove difficulties and obstacles in import-export activities, especially in terms of mechanisms and policies; update the situation to notify and recommend other provinces and businesses to reasonably bring goods to the border gate; and inform enterprises to change the trade method with China into an official quota trade.

Organizations, individuals and enterprises take the initiative in business plans, regulating vehicles to the border gate; comply with the provisions of the law on year operation; organize the collection of service charges and fulfill financial obligations to the State; and continue to improve infrastructure to meet import and export demand.