Delegation from Health Ministry, National Steering Committee 389 inspect Chi Ma border gate

(LSO) – On September 24, a delegation from the Ministry of Health and the Standing Office of the National Steering Committee 389 headed by Truong Quoc Cuong, Deputy Minister of Health, examined the import of pharmaceutical materials through Chi Ma bilateral border gate in Loc Binh district, northern Lang Son province.

Working with the delegation were Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Cong Truong and representatives of some local departments.

Chi Ma border gate has been operating since the 1990s. It is one of the important border gates of Lang Son to attract businesses trading goods through the province.

 Deputy Minister of Health Truong Quoc Cuong speaks at the working session.

Currently, the Chi Ma (Vietnam) – Ai Dian (China) border gate pair fully meets the conditions of infrastructure, equipment, management forces, and supervision of export-import goods quality, as well as is able to control the quality of imported medicine.

Pharmaceutical materials are a traditional product of China exported through the Ai Dian-Chi Ma border gate for nearly 30 years. Ai Dian has also been designated by Chinese authorities as a border gate for exporting traditional medicine to Vietnam and other ASEAN member countries.

According to Clause 7, Article 91 of Decree 54/2017 of the Government, medicine and pharmaceutical materials can only be imported through international border gates. This regulation has caused difficulties and significantly affected the trading activities through border gates, especially directly affecting the export turnover of Vietnam’s agricultural and aquatic products through this border gate pair. The import-export turnover of goods has been declining continuously, down 40 percent year-on-year in 2018 and 14.2 percent year-on-year in the first eight months of 2019.

Vice Chairman of Lang Son provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Cong Truong speaks at the working session.

The restriction on importing pharmaceuticals through Chi Ma border gate has increased pressure in combating smuggling of this kind of goods in the province due to high demand from the domestic market.

The working delegation inspected customs procedures, plant quarantine system and health quarantine at the Chi Ma border gate.

Lang Son authorities asked the Ministry of Health to propose the Govenrment revising the regulation in the direction of allowing the import of pharmaceutical materials through international and bilateral border gates.

Deputy Minister of Health Truong Quoc Cuong said the locality’s proposals are appropriate. The ministry will ask for opinions from relevant ministries and departments to submit the request to the Government.