Vietnamese enterprises should be cautious before transporting agricultural products to Lao Cai's Kim Thanh II border gate for export to minimise losses although Chinese authorities are piloting the re-import of these products, according to Ha Duc Thuan, deputy head of Lao Cai Border Gate Management Board.

He advised local businesses who engage in importing and exporting goods to discuss and reach an agreement with their Chinese partners relating to the delivery and receipt process.

Goods should be transported to the border gate for customs clearance only after Chinese businesses complete customs declarations and they are approved by a competent agency, Thuan said.

Chinese authorities on June 27 piloted the clearance of Vietnamese agricultural products through Kim Thanh II international border gate in the northern province of Lao Cai. Dragon fruit, lychee and mango are the items chosen for the pilot process.

According to Thuan, due to China's strict policy relating to the import and export of goods during the COVID-19 pandemic, the customs clearance for all agricultural products at Kim Thanh border gate was temporarily suspended on February 17.

All goods imported from Viet Nam are subject to examination and rapid antigen tests to prevent COVID-19, he said, adding that the above-mentioned pilot scheme was the result of exchanges between border management forces of the two sides.

Two trucks transporting dragon fruit and lychee from Viet Nam were cleared for export to China on June 27. If the goods meet the requirements for COVID-19 prevention, the Chinese side will officially resume the clearance of Viet Nam's agricultural products through Lao Cai border gate.

Lao Cai border gate management board is in talks with the Chinese side to tackle obstacles to facilitate the export of Vietnamese agricultural products, he said. — VNS