Speaking at the national conference summarising performance in 2020 and implementing tasks for 2021 of the Steering Committee 138/CP and National Steering Committee 389 on January 1, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh said it is necessary to totally destroy smuggling and arrest the perpetrators.

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh gives a statement at the conference.
Photo: Q.H 

Some localities have not yet drastically performed 

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh said in the fight against smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods in 2020, forces have handled more than 185,000 violations, collected and paid nearly VND 25,000 billion to the State budget, up by 15% year-on-year; prosecuted 2,543 cases, increasing by 28% with 3,502 suspects, surging by nearly 50%.

Notably, there were many large cases such as the seizure of 51kg of gold across border by An Giang police, the discovery of a warehouse of 10,000m2 containing smuggled goods in Lao Cai by the Market Surveillance force.

Customs seized more than 4 million cigarette packs illegally transported in Quang Ninh and discovered hundreds of cases of goods with fake Vietnamese origin for export abroad.

Recently, the Investigation Police Agency under the Ministry of Public Security destroyed a large smuggling ring at Bac Phong Sinh Border Gate, Quang Ninh province, seized 500 tonnes of smuggled goods and arrested some suspects.

In 2020, the competent forces have performed well the market stability, prevention of production and business of fake, low-quality and non-originating medical products, making an important contribution to prevention and control of the Covid-19 pandemic by the Government and localities.

On behalf of the Government, the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh appreciated achievements of the Steering Committee 389 in 2020.

The Deputy Prime Minister pointed out that the fight against smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods has been directed but has not yet made fundamental changes. Counterfeit goods, smuggled goods and non-originating goods are still sold publicly in many areas and sold widely online.

The evasion of import tax and corporate income tax via false declaration of price, quantity and transfer pricing remains complicated. The abuse of policies on risk management to smuggle, transport banned goods and counterfeit goods, goods infringing intellectual property is a problem. And there have not been effective preventive measures.

The cause of limitation and shortcomings stems from the lack of mobilisation of the participation by both the political system and the whole society; some local Party committees and governments have not yet drastically performed in direction; there are limitations of the role of specialised forces, and the key forces have not yet been built in some localities, and supervision of situation has not yet been closley implemented in some localities and residential areas.

In addition, some cadres and civil servants lacks responsibility and qualifications, as well as not has high compliance with the law, even covering up or supporting violations especially smuggling, trade fraud and trading in non-originating goods. On the other hand, there are still some limitations and inadequacies in incentive policies, creating loopholes for suspects to abuse them for violation; and there are still have some shortcomings in organisational apparatus and unspecified assignment in tasks at some agencies.

Coordinate, connect and share information

To effectively fight smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods, Deputy Prime Minister Binh asked ministries, branches and localities to focus on well performing the key tasks as follows:

First, continue to follow the directions of the Government and the Prime Minister, the National Steering Committee 389 on the fight against smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods, and consider this work an important and regular political task of all ministries, branches and localities.

Second, prevent and combat smuggling, trade fraud within competent forces; drastically handle violations and dismiss out of the organisational apparatus cadres and civil servants who support and protect criminals and law violations.

Third, for crimes of smuggling, especially the smuggling of petroleum products, minerals, cigarettes, refined sugar, fertilisers, hazardous waste, production and trading of counterfeit goods, especially goods affecting people's health, competent forces need to set up a special plan for expanding, identifying and investigating to totally destroy smuggling and arrest perpetrators.

Fourth, promote the movement of the entire people to participate in the prevention and fight against crime, smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods; to receive and handle complaints and denunciations of people at the grassroots level, and prevent the establishment of security and order hotspots.

Fifth, continue to improve institutions; review and build new provisions or amend and supplement legal provisions related to the fight against smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods that still have inadequacies and loopholes.

Sixth, strengthen coordination, information connection and exchange among competent forces; expand cooperation in the fight against smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods, focusing on researching, proposing negotiation, signing or acceding to international treaties and agreements in this work.