Mr. Ngo Xuan Nam, Deputy Director of SPS Vietnam Office - Photo: VGP/ Do Huong
The Vietnam SPS Office is the focal point for implementing transparency obligations as required by the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) of the World Trade Organization (WTO), acting as an official information channel between Vietnam and WTO members on SPS issues.
Currently, the Vietnam SPS Office is under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment .
According to statistics from the Vietnam SPS Office, there are currently 3,842 product codes of food processing establishments licensed for import by China under Regulation 248 of the General Administration of Customs of China. Of these, there are about 1,500 codes belonging to the group of 18 items with high risk of food safety loss managed by 5 competent authorities of Vietnam: Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection; Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine; Department of Quality, Processing and Market Development; Department of Food Safety; Department of Import and Export... The remaining over 2,000 product codes with low risk are self-registered by enterprises.
When a business registers its profile on the China Import Food Enterprise Registration System (CIFER) of the General Administration of Customs of China, it must declare its business address. However, from July 1, 2025, Vietnam will apply a two-tier government model. Thus, there is a change in the business address compared to the registration profile before July 1, 2025.
Mr. Ngo Xuan Nam, Deputy Director of the Vietnam SPS Office, said that, based on Article 19, Regulation 248 of the General Administration of Customs of China: During the effective period of registration, if the registration information of the imported foreign food production enterprise changes, the application for change must be submitted to the General Administration of Customs through the registration channel and the following documents must be submitted: (1) Comparison table of information changes according to the registration item; (2) Supporting documents related to the changed information. If the General Administration of Customs of China finds that after appraisal, changes can be made, the changes must be made.
With the spirit of proactively solving difficulties for businesses, Mr. Nam informed: "As early as June 19, 2025, at the 92nd SPS-WTO Committee Meeting in Switzerland, the Vietnam SPS Office coordinated with the Standing Delegation of Vietnam in Geneva, Switzerland to organize a bilateral meeting with representatives of the General Department of Customs of China and the Standing Delegation of China in Geneva, Switzerland to announce that from July 1, 2025, Vietnam will apply a 2-level government model, including provinces and communes, and there will be changes in the address information of businesses registered on the CIFER system. Vietnam requests the General Department of Customs of China to coordinate, support and find solutions to avoid disrupting the export of agricultural products and food from Vietnam to China according to Regulation 248".
"The Vietnam SPS Office will advise Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam to send a diplomatic note to the General Department of Customs of China requesting close coordination so as not to affect the export of Vietnamese agricultural products and food due to the impact of the conversion to the two-level government system," Mr. Nam emphasized.
The Vietnam SPS Office recommends that enterprises exporting agricultural and food products according to Regulation 248, in case the goods arrive at the border gate and have problems with regulations on registering the name, address of the enterprise..., contact directly the national focal point for Notification and Q&A on epidemiology and quarantine of animals and plants in Vietnam (Vietnam SPS Office, Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) for support.
Do Huong
Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/sps-viet-nam-huong-dan-doanh-nghiep-cap-nhat-thong-tin-xuat-khau-thuc-pham-sang-trung-quoc-102250704173528352.htm
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