HANOI, July 30 — The United States (US) and Vietnamese officials launched a workshop in Hanoi this week to strengthen cooperation in combating illegal transhipment and trade fraud, including schemes used to conceal the true origin of goods and evade trade rules, said the US Embassy in Hanoi today.
The five-day workshop, organised by the US Customs and Border Protection (US CBP) agency and Vietnam's Department of Customs, brings together customs and trade officials to share investigation techniques and strengthen information-sharing.
White House officials have accused Vietnam of facilitating the transhipment of Chinese goods to the US.
"Trade fraud is not a victimless crime; it threatens American and Vietnamese jobs, undermines honest businesses, and jeopardises our economic and national security," said US Ambassador to Vietnam Jennifer Wicks in a statement.
US CBP experts are sharing American practices on trade enforcement and production verification to boost cooperation between the US CBP, Vietnam Customs, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
On Friday (July 24), the US imposed a new 12.5 per cent tariff on imports from Vietnam under a Section 301 forced labour investigation, as Washington determined Vietnam had failed to effectively prohibit imports of goods made with forced labour, an accusation that Hanoi has rejected.
Vietnam is also facing ongoing US investigations into possible overcapacity and intellectual property violations.
