The Ministry of Industry and Trade organizes a conference on state management of goods origin in 2024

On the afternoon of December 27th, in Lang Son, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in coordination with the People's Committee of Lang Son province, organized the Conference on State Management of Goods Origin in 2024.

Attending the conference were Mr. Nguyen Anh Son – Director of the Import-Export Department; Mr. Tran Thanh Hai – Deputy Director of the Import-Export Department; Ms. Trinh Thi Thu Hien – Deputy Director of the Import-Export Department; and representatives from departments and divisions under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, including: the General Department of Market Management, the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy , the Ministry's Inspectorate, the Multilateral Trade Policy Department, the Ministry's Office, and the Legal Department.

Representing the General Department of Customs were the Customs Supervision and Management Department, the Anti-Smuggling Investigation Department, and the Post-Clearance Department.

Representing the local authorities were Mr. Doan Thanh Son – Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Lang Son province; Mr. Nguyen Dinh Dai – Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Lang Son province; and representatives from relevant units.

Numerous legal documents on the origin of goods have been issued.

In his opening remarks at the conference, Mr. Nguyen Anh Son, Director of the Import-Export Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade), stated that in the state management of import and export, the origin of goods is a crucial and unique issue, not only linked to enjoying preferential tax treatment from international economic integration commitments granted to Vietnam by other countries, but also in the reverse direction, where Vietnam grants preferential treatment to other countries.

The Conference on State Management of Goods Origin in 2024 was held in Lang Son on the afternoon of December 27th. (Photo: NH)

To date, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has issued 42 legal documents in the field of origin of goods, guiding the procedures for issuing Certificates of Origin (C/O) and implementing rules of origin according to commitments that Vietnam has participated in. To strengthen state management of origin of goods and promote the prevention and combating of origin fraud, the Minister of Industry and Trade issued Directive No. 06/CT-BCT dated June 11, 2024, on strengthening state management of origin of exported goods in the current period, and Notice No. 394/TB-BCT dated November 22, 2024, announcing the directives of Minister Nguyen Hong Dien on strengthening state management of origin of goods.

In the Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) that Vietnam participates in, the origin of goods is always an important issue that member countries need to negotiate and agree upon in order to ensure the full utilization of the FTA's tariff preferences. Preferential import tariff rates within the framework of FTAs ​​can differ by 10-40% compared to MFN (Most Favored Nation) tariffs between WTO member countries.

In recent times, the global and regional economic and trade landscape has continued to evolve rapidly, complexly, and unpredictably. Vietnam's economy continues to integrate more deeply into the international arena and faces increasingly intense competition. To improve the legal framework regarding rules of origin, the Ministry of Industry and Trade advised the Government to issue Decree No. 31/2018/ND-CP dated March 8, 2018, detailing the Law on Foreign Trade Management on rules of origin. This creates favorable conditions for businesses to apply rules of origin to boost exports and enable Vietnamese goods to benefit from preferential tariffs. This, in turn, expands access to major markets where Vietnam has signed or participated in FTAs, or markets that grant Vietnam unilateral or most-favored-nation treatment.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Son – Director of the Import-Export Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade) speaks at the Conference on State Management of Goods Origin in 2024 held in Lang Son on the afternoon of December 27. (Photo: NH)

According to Mr. Nguyen Anh Son, in the coming period, the implementation of FTAs ​​will enter a phase of enforcing stronger commitments, requiring closer connection and coordination from ministries, departments, and state management agencies to take advantage of the opportunities offered by FTAs.

At the same time, coordination and information sharing among relevant ministries, departments, and agencies are crucial in the inspection and verification of goods origin, aiming to detect and handle cases of origin fraud in practice. This will enable the implementation of risk management measures to prevent increasingly diverse and sophisticated origin fraud in the future.

" The Ministry of Industry and Trade, in its role assigned by the Government to organize the issuance of Certificates of Origin (C/O), hopes to receive positive feedback from relevant ministries, sectors, and agencies to gain a comprehensive understanding of state management of product origin over the past period. From there, we can propose directions and solutions to improve management efficiency in the future," Mr. Nguyen Anh Son stated.

The legal framework regarding the origin of goods needs to be further improved.

On the local side, Mr. Doan Thanh Son - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Lang Son province - informed that Lang Son province has extremely important advantages for developing border gate economy and trade and logistics services, and has become a major transit gateway for goods between Vietnam and ASEAN countries with China and vice versa.

Mr. Doan Thanh Son, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Lang Son province, speaks at the Conference on State Management of Goods Origin in 2024 held in Lang Son on the afternoon of December 27. (Photo: NH)

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has paid attention to Lang Son province, establishing the Lang Son Regional Import-Export Management Office in 2004 and appointing officials and specialists from the Department of Industry and Trade to carry out its duties.

Over the past 20 years, along with 22 authorized organizations nationwide to issue preferential Certificates of Origin (C/O), and with the attention and guidance of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the province, the Lang Son Regional Import-Export Management Department has successfully completed its assigned tasks. The Department has promptly grasped the import-export situation, identifying difficulties and obstacles to report to the Ministry of Industry and Trade and relevant agencies for timely resolution. Although the number of Certificates of Origin issued by the Lang Son Regional Import-Export Management Department is relatively modest compared to the national average, it has made a significant contribution to facilitating the export of agricultural products through the province.

Today's conference will contribute to helping central ministries and agencies, as well as localities, improve the effectiveness of state management of product origin; and help Lang Son province continue to effectively leverage its advantages and potential to become an attractive destination for investors and businesses.

“With the signed and implemented FTAs, the synchronized investment in border gates and infrastructure, along with favorable diplomatic cooperation between Lang Son and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and other localities of China, and the attention and assistance of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and other central ministries and agencies, Lang Son will soon become a transshipment center for goods, one of the largest land trade gateways between Vietnam and China and other ASEAN countries, contributing to promoting socio-economic development of both Vietnam and China,” Mr. Doan Thanh Son informed.

Delegates attending the 2024 Conference on State Management of Goods Origin held in Lang Son on the afternoon of December 27. (Photo: NH)

At the conference, delegates shared key information such as: evaluating the results of state management of origin of goods according to Decree No. 31/2018/ND-CP after 6 years of implementation and related legal documents; assessing the import and export situation and the issuance of Certificates of Origin (C/O) in localities over the past period; discussing several issues: evaluating commitments on origin of goods in signed FTAs, policy mechanisms related to the C/O issuance system, the implementation of C/O issuance at issuing organizations and customs procedures related to C/O, and proposing management policies for the future.

With the aim of improving the effectiveness of state management in the field of origin of goods to promote production restructuring, boost exports, and reasonably protect domestic production through the utilization of FTA preferences and combating origin fraud, opinions at the conference suggested that in the coming time, it is necessary to complete the legal framework on origin of goods, creating a transparent policy environment for businesses to take advantage of preferential tariff commitments.

Furthermore, it is necessary to reform administrative procedures and reorganize the system for issuing Certificates of Origin in a way that is efficient and convenient for businesses. At the same time, it is crucial to combat origin fraud, strengthen the capacity of the supervisory and inspection apparatus to effectively implement solutions to prevent origin fraud in import and export activities. Emphasis should be placed on communication and international cooperation to leverage tariff preferences and combat origin fraud.

Vietnam is one of the most deeply integrated countries in the world, with commitments in many areas, especially in new-generation Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) such as EVFTA, UKVFTA, and CPTPP. This is considered one of the factors helping Vietnam increase exports, with export turnover increasing at an average rate of 22-23% per year over the past 10 years, from US$114.5 billion in 2012 to US$354.7 billion in 2023 (reaching US$369.9 billion in the first 11 months of 2024).

Source: https://congthuong.vn/bo-cong-thuong-to-chuc-hoi-nghi-cong-tac-quan-ly-nha-nuoc-ve-xuat-xu-hang-hoa-nam-2024-366559.html