Vietnam asks China to facilitate customs clearance for agricultural produce: Minister

Cargo trucks at Tan Thanh border gate prepare to ship goods to China. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) - Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien has sent official letters to the Minister of Commerce of China and the Governor of Yunnan province (China) asking the Chinese side to facilitate customs clearance for and export of Vietnamese agricultural produce.

Amid the complicated development of the COVID-19 pandemic with the Delta variant, the delivery and reception of imports and exports at Vietnam-China border gates continue to strictly follow pandemic prevention and control measures and no cross-border infection has been recorded so far, the minister said in the letters.

Dien expressed regret to receive information that the Department of Commerce of Yunnan province suspended the import of dragon fruit from Vietnam through border gates in the area from July due to concerns about the COVID-19 situation in Vietnam.

By mid-August, dragon fruit in particular and other agricultural produce of Vietnam, in general, could not be exported to China through the border gates with Yunnan. Meanwhile, the import of vegetables and agricultural products from Yunnan through Vietnam's border localities is still going smoothly with an average of about 400 vehicles per day, he said.

According to Minister Dien, pandemic prevention and control can be ensured if border gate authorities and businesses of the two sides continue to seriously comply with the approved goods clearance process which has been proven to be effective over the past year.

He suggested the Chinese Minister of Commerce direct Yunnan province to promptly remove restriction of the import of Vietnamese agricultural products through border gates.

The minister asked the Chinese side to coordinate with Vietnamese border localities to implement pandemic prevention and control measures while maintaining stable circulation of goods at the same time. /.