Vietnam-China border trade vibrant despite COVID-19

The northern border province of Lang Son has managed to maintain its role as a main gateway for border trade with the Chinese market, despite the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on commercial services and import and export of goods in the locality.

Lang Son has over 231 km of border with Guangxi province (China), with two international border gates, a national border gate and nine auxiliary border gates.

 

Strict disease preventive measures

At Huu Nghi International Border Gate, which sees the largest volume of people and vehicles transporting goods in the province, a specialised team of drivers who only operate in the border gate area has been set up since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

These drivers always strictly comply with rules on medical check-ups and health declaration, especially the declaration of their epidemiological history.

 

Drivers and goods owners localities with complicated pandemic developments, are allowed to enter the border area only when they can show certificates of testing negative to SARS-CoV-2 virus within a week before arrival. 

To prevent the spread of the disease, the International Health Quarantine Centre of Lang Son province sprays disinfectant twice a day through the entire border gate area, parking lot, and the area where customs procedures are carried out.

The border guards regularly check and ask drivers and goods owners to strictly wear masks and not to gather in large groups in the border gate area. They also regulate means of transport to prevent congestion and tighten the management of forest trails to combat illegal entry and exit.

 

At present, five out of 12 border gates in Lang Son are open for cross-border trade. To ensure goods circulation in the context of the pandemic, agencies and units in the province have synchronously implemented solutions, especially removing bottlenecks, creating favourable conditions for import and export activities through the border gates and speeding up the construction of infrastructure.

The Management Board of Dong Dang - Lang Son Border Gate Economic Zone has maintained regular talks with China to reach agreement on cooperation in border trade development, import and export of goods. It also took the initiative in updating relevant authorities and businesses on the two countries' regulations relating to the import and export of goods. 

In the first months of this year, import and export activities at the main border gates of Lang Son have been relatively active with a surge in the number of vehicles carrying import and export goods. To solve the problem, in addition to regulating vehicles, the functional forces of Lang Son province have actively facilitated customs clearance of goods, especially fresh fruits.

According to the Department of Industry and Trade of Lang Son province, the total import-export turnover through the province in the first six months of this year was estimated at 1.96 billion USD, up 41 percent over the same period last year. Of which, export value reached 690 million USD, a year-on-year increase of 13.11 percent and import turnover 1.27 billion USD, up 62.82 percent./.