Strictly investigate illegal goods transported, focusing on Chinese products, the most strictly prohibited order in customs history

According to Reuters, the Vietnamese government is preparing to implement tougher punitive measures to combat trade fraud and illegal transshipment of goods, and focus inspections on Chinese products, a move aimed at striving to fulfill its commitments to the United States.

Recently, the Philippine Customs Administration issued a milestone memorandum, strictly prohibiting customs personnel from participating in commercial and financial activities of customs declaration agencies to eliminate conflicts of interest and strengthen transparency. This move can be said to be the strictest anti-conflict of interest ban in the history of the country's customs.

On July 2, US President Trump announced a trade agreement with Vietnam. Under the agreement, the United States plans to impose tariffs on Vietnamese imported goods to 20% from 46% threatened in April, but the United States also announced that it would impose a 40% tariff on goods transshipped through Vietnam. US officials have repeatedly accused Vietnam of being used as a transit station for Chinese goods shipped to the United States, saying that although some goods are labeled as "Made in Vietnam", they do not or have only a little added value in Vietnam. Chinese exporters use this to take advantage of Vietnam's lower tariffs to evade the high tariffs imposed by the United States on Chinese goods.

On July 3, the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Commerce issued a document saying that the Vietnamese government will issue a new decree that stipulates additional sanctions on fraudulent behaviors from the origin of products and introduces stricter measures and inspections to prevent fraud.

The document requires Vietnamese authorities to strengthen inspections of goods exported to the United States. The recent inspection focuses on "products with risks of trade fraud" or "Chinese products affected by trade protection measures of the EU and the United States". It also lists specific examples such as wooden furniture, plywood, steel mechanical parts, bicycles, batteries, wireless headphones and other electronic products. It also points out that fraud includes using fake documents to obtain certificates of origin, forging certificates of origin of goods, and importing counterfeit products from Vietnam. The document also mentioned that trade fraud has increased recently, with the main purpose of avoiding tariffs and trade protection measures.

In addition, a draft document not dated seen by Reuters shows that the Vietnamese government will introduce stricter procedures to monitor companies in the origin of self-certified products, strengthen inspections of traded goods, including conducting more on-site inspections, and strengthen reviews of issuance of certificates of origin. However, it is unclear how the U.S. will define illegal transshipment, and how much value Vietnam has to add to imported products to avoid 40% tariffs, and it is also unclear when the deal may be finalized. People familiar with the matter said the draft decree does not currently list penalties and is expected to be added in the revised version or other legal texts.

Since the beginning of the Sino-US trade war in 2018, Trump's first administration imposed extensive tariffs on Beijing, forcing some manufacturers to transfer production to Vietnam, and Vietnam's exports to the United States have almost tripled since. But as exports to the United States surged, Vietnam's imports from China also expanded significantly, and over the years, Vietnam's imports from China almost exactly match the value and fluctuations of exports to the United States. Data from the United States and Vietnam show that by 2024, Vietnam's total exports to the United States will be around US0 billion.

On July 10, 2025, the Philippine General Administration of Customs (BOC) ushered in major reforms. Administrator Ariel Nipomuseno released a landmark memorandum that set off an anti-corruption storm within the customs system.

This reform is in response to President Marcos' call, aiming to further eliminate conflicts of interest within customs and strengthen transparency. This policy is the strictest anti-conflict of interest measures in the history of the Philippine customs, demonstrating the customs department's firm commitment to ethical services and legal compliance.

According to the Directive, in accordance with the Philippine Constitution and relevant regulations, government officials and employees shall not participate in private business activities that undermine official justice, and full-time personnel are prohibited from engaging in such activities without written authorization. This time, the customs policy has been fully upgraded, and customs personnel are strictly prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in customs declaration business, covering all roles such as enterprise owners, shareholders, and consultants that may cause moral controversy.

What is even more noticeable is that all customs personnel must submit a verified affidavit to the Director's Office within 10 days after the memorandum is issued, disclose blood or in-laws with customs declaration practitioners within four generations, and list the customs declaration information in detail. Even if the relationship has been terminated in the past five years, it is necessary to disclose it truthfully.

Nipomuseno stressed that the reform strictly follows the terms of the Customs Integrity Action Plan and prohibits customs officials from conducting business transactions that damage their duties with customs declaration banks, and prohibits holding relevant private enterprises' interests or positions. The memorandum clearly warns that violators will be punished in accordance with the law. Nipomuseno said that this is a "decisive step" for customs to move towards institutional integrity. The Philippine customs will place the public interest above personal interests and resolutely eliminate corruption, favoritism and other improper behaviors.