Vietnamplus

The online ASEAN Customs Transit System (ACTS) was officially launched on November 30 to accelerate trade in goods by road within Southeast Asia.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong, via videoconference, witnessed on November 14 the launch of the ASEAN Smart Logistics Network (ASLN) with the Vinh Phuc ICD Logistics Centre (SuperPort) its first project.

Applying risk management in customs operations will not only enable trade security and facilitation but will also allow the General Department of Customs to focus its resources on high-risk trade, heard a workshop held in Hanoi on November 12.

The imported pork and declining meat consumption have pushed pork prices down, helping stabilise the consumer price index.

Reforms of checks on imported products will help improve the business climate while reducing time and costs, which will give significant room for growth, Minister and Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung has said.

A comprehensive reform model of regulations on quality and food safety inspection for imported goods was introduced at a press conference on September 24.

Officials from Vietnam’s northern border province of Cao Bang and Baise city of China’s Guangxi province had talks on August 26 to discuss cooperation in border gates’ activities.

The 12th Cambodia - Laos - Myanmar - Vietnam (CLMV) Economic Ministers’ Meeting was held online on August 24.

The northern province of Vinh Phuc has been a destination of choice for investors, both domestic and foreign, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vietnam’s rice exports to the EU remain modest, at about 20,000 tonnes in volume and 10.7 million USD in value in 2019, accounting for a small proportion of the bloc’s annual average rice consumption of 2.5 million tonnes in the 2016-2020 period.

More than 70 foreign importers participated in an international business matching webinar on August 13 in order to seek suitable partnerships with local traders in the trading of longan.

Vietnam achieved a trade surplus of 6.5 billion USD in the first seven months of this year, including 1 billion USD in July, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern announced the elevation of their countries’ relations to a strategic partnership during their online talks on July 22.

Vietnam and New Zealand have agreed to facilitate border clearance of agricultural, forestry and aquatic products through the use of electronic certification (e-Cert).

Joining free trade agreements (FTAs), Vietnam has many opportunities to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) flows, but it also needs to take solutions to prevent frauds and abuse of State policies to illegally enjoy export incentives.

The European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) proposed the Government to apply a 50 percent registration fee reduction to all automotive assembly firms, importers and dealers of new vehicles.

The northern Son La province has been granted a total of 92 codes specifically for longan growing areas for this year, of which 34 codes are to be used to export the product to both the United States and Australia, while 58 codes will be used to produce longan for export to China.

Export turnover in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries in the first half of 2020 was estimated at 18.81 billion USD, a year-on-year decline of 3.4 percent.

Experts have urged Vietnamese exporters to shift their attention to neighbouring ASEAN markets given that COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on major markets such as the EU and the US, a recent conference heard.

The following is the full text of the ASEAN Plan of Action on Strengthening ASEAN Economic Cooperation and Supply Chain Connectivity in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, which was adopted at the teleconferenced 36th ASEAN Summit on June 26.