Vietnam - Gov’t suspends import of used machinery

The Vietnamese Government has approved a Ministry of Science and Technology proposal to suspend import of second-hand machinery, equipment and production lines as they are outdated, of low quality and harmful to the environment.

The ministry is assigned to review and evaluate the quality control mechanism for imported machines, equipment and production lines based on actual requirements, according to a document sent by the Prime Minister to relevant ministries and agencies last week.

Ministries and agencies concerned should review the list of potentially unsafe items and revise it to include imported machines, equipment and lines that need to be checked upon arrival in Vietnam, and should promptly issue import standards for those items.

The suspension of old-machinery imports is ascribed to the fact that numerous factories in other countries have shut down, thus discarding lots of outdated machines, equipment and technologies. In China alone, around 2,000 firms have stopped production, throwing away old technology and machinery, said Nguyen Phu Cuong, deputy head of the Science and Technology Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

So far, there have been no records on imports of used machinery and technology from China, said Cuong.

He described the decision to halt used machinery and technology imports as a timely policy move, citing concerns that import of second-hand, energy-devouring and -polluting machinery will turn Vietnam into a landfill for discarded technologies.

“The Ministry of Industry and Trade used to issue a document restricting old machinery imports. Now the Government has taken stronger action,” said Cuong.

Old machines and equipment that are imported for use in a short while will pose a major threat to the environment when they are no longer operational, Cuong stressed.

Over the last 15 years, outdated equipment and technology have been steadily replaced by modern ones. Only small-scale production facilities are still using obsolete technology that consumes much energy and causes environmental pollution, said Cuong.

To remedy this situation, the country has rolled out programs encouraging cleaner and energy-saving production to cut energy costs and boost production efficiency.

Saigon Times

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