HIGHLIGHTS
- The Deputy Director of Lang Son Customs proposed that goods be exported to China by rail because the method of transporting goods by rail does not require the mobilization of a large number of human resources and thus will be more convenient than the road set.
- The customs office in Lang Son province has advised localities and businesses to restrict the quantity of commodities at the source and reduce the amount of items sent to the border gate.
- Furthermore, the Deputy Director of Lang Son Province’s Customs Department requested that the government hold high-level negotiations with China to facilitate customs clearance of products.
FULL ARTICLE
The situation at the northern border crossings
The reason for this situation can be explained as the number of vehicles cleared is very “small” because China is implementing the “Zero Covid” policy. Specifically, lang Lang Son province only clears 50 to 80 vehicles per day. Meanwhile, the number of vehicles rushing to Lang Son border gates has not stopped, the field transit field has been overloaded with more than 1000 vehicles.
Faced with that situation, many cargo vehicles have chosen to turn around due to insufficient patience waiting for customs clearance. At the Huu Nghi border gate, a spontaneous jackfruit market has sprung up in hopes of removing the capital. The price of jackfruit previously sold at 40,000 VND/kg now only 5,000 VND/kg. Many jackfruit trucks have chosen to return to Hanoi, selling on the streets at an average price of 10,000 VND/kg.
The congestion of goods at the northern border crossings has been ongoing for weeks. As of December 26, there were 5,800 cargo container trucks waiting at the Vietnam-China border crossing. In Particular, in Lang Son province, the number of cargo containers “lying motionless” has reached 4000 vehicles and in Quang Ninh province this number is about 1500 vehicles.
Lang Son Customs Department proposes many solutions
At the current speed of customs clearance, Mr. Nguyen Huu Vuong, Deputy Director of Lang Son Customs proposed exporting goods to China by rail. The reason he offered this solution is because the method of transporting goods by rail is no need to mobilize too many human resources, including only operating crews, so it will be more favorable than road.
Currently, there are still more than 2,100 cargo trucks in Lang Son. According to Mr. Vuong, the traffic jam will last until Lunar New Year and it is possible that “this amount of goods cannot be released” if the clearance capacity remains as it is today. Meanwhile, the China side is expected to continue tightening the management of people and goods across the border until March 15, 2022.
To solve the immediate situation, customs authorities have advised localities and enterprises to regulate the amount of goods from the source and reduce goods brought to the border gate. In addition, Deputy Director of Customs of Lang Son province Vuong also proposed the government to hold high-level talks with China to facilitate customs clearance of goods, because low-level talks have taken place but have not been effective.
On Lang Son’s side, customs authorities have proposed to the Provincial People’s Committee to accept the delivery plan at the border gate. The Chinese side, they also offered to deliver containers at the border gate, that means the driver does not need to get off the vehicle, but only transfers the container to the buyer in China. In addition, in order to support businesses, Lang Son province decided to reduce warehousing fees and access to the border gate transit terminal; provide food and drink for drivers who are stuck at the border.
Huyen Tu
Chi Ma border gate reopens, can only clear 7 cars/day
