Deputy PM Phuc: More efforts should be made to combat smuggling

Deputy PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc has urged ministries, sectors and localities to intensify the fight against smuggling and trade fraud.

Deputy Prime Minister Phuc made the request while chairing a teleconference of the National Steering Committee on the Prevention and Control of Smuggling, Trade Fraud and Fake Commodities (or Steering Committee 389) in Hanoi on January 29 to review its performance in 2014 and deploy 2015 tasks.

At the conference (thanhnien.com.vn)

After nearly one year since its establishment, Steering Committee 389 has co-ordinated with relevant ministries, sectors and localities to implement synchronous solutions combating smuggling and trade fraud. In 2014, authorities detected 206,000 smuggling cases with goods totally valued at VND13 trillion (over US$608 million), up 12.11% year-on-year.

However, counterfeit goods, smuggling and fraudulent trading are still complicated issues to resolve, causing negative impacts on domestic production and on the lives and health of the people, said Deputy PM Phuc.

Anti-trafficking and market control forces need to step up inspection procedures to counter trade fraud and prevent losses to budget revenue, he added.

He also requested ministries and functional agencies to establish special measures for the prevention and combat against counterfeit goods, as well as tighten discipline and implement strict supervision to strictly handle officials who complied with or covered up smuggling and trade fraud, assisting the destruction of domestic production and affecting people’s health.

(Source: nhandan.org.vn)