Lawmakers on September 17 agreed on the need to issue a draft decree regulating customs procedures for goods transiting Vietnam via the ASEAN Customs Transit System.
The issue was part of the ongoing 37th session of the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee in Hanoi.
Submitting the Government’s draft decree, Minister of Finance Dinh Tien Dung said this decree is necessary to create the legal basis for modernising customs procedures for goods transiting ASEAN countries, including Vietnam. The issuance will also improve Vietnamese businesses’ competitiveness and allow the best use of the advantages of the country’s geographical location in goods transportation.
Delivering a report verifying the draft, Chairman of the NA’s Committee for Financial and Budgetary Affairs Nguyen Duc Hai said his committee supports the decree issuance to regulate customs procedures for goods transiting via the ASEAN Customs Transit System and to implement Protocol 7 on the customs transit system under the ASEAN Framework Agreement on the Facilitation of Goods in Transit.
The draft decree features regulations on some aspects that existing law hasn’t covered, along with several stricter regulations. Additionally, no stipulations in the draft run counter to existing law and the NA’s resolutions, he noted.
NA Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong stressed that the decree needs to ensure the connectivity of Vietnam’s customs sector with its ASEAN counterparts while guaranteeing the information system’s safety, as well as national interests and interests of organisations and individuals.
Echoing the view, NA Vice Chairman Phung Quoc Hien said basing on opinions of the parliament’s finance-budget and law committees, the Government should make sure that its decree will guarantee the country’s sovereignty and interests, along with interests of organisations and individuals.
Parts of the decree should be piloted first to gain experience before the whole document is applied, he noted.
Other participants in the meeting also asked the Government to continue directing the customs sector to enhance its capacity and intensify examination to prevent the abuse of transit for smuggling or trade fraud.
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The Government has identified three major objectives: promptly institutionalising Party policies on land, private-sector development and national digital transformation; addressing urgent practical obstacles to unlock resources and support the goal of double-digit economic growth; and building a modern, streamlined and effective land management system through stronger decentralisation and administrative reform.
General Secretary and President Lam said the most worthy tribute to previous generations is the responsibility and action of today's generation, while the greatest responsibility toward future generations is to create solid foundations and better conditions for the country's continued advancement.
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Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Vietnam–New Zealand relations have continued to grow strongly, with substantive cooperation in numerous areas and further expansion in education and agriculture, generating fresh momentum for bilateral ties.
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General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and President To Lam described overseas Vietnamese as “ambassadors” who help promote Vietnam's positive image internationally, and urged them to maintain solidarity, preserve national pride and cultural traditions, and make practical contributions to the country's development.
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Xaysomphone Phomvihane was a capable revolutionary intellectual with broad knowledge and a strategic vision. Throughout his career, he remained committed to the Party's ideals and objectives, and demonstrated responsibility, flexibility and discipline in carrying out his assigned tasks.
Prime Minister Le Minh Hung asked the Israeli Government to continue creating favourable conditions for Vietnamese people living, studying and working in Israel at a meeting with outgoing Israeli Ambassador to Vietnam Yaron Mayer in Hanoi on August 12.