Standardisation key to raising national economic competitiveness: Official

Hanoi (VNA) - The National Standardisation Strategy for 2030, once issued, is expected to contribute to raising the efficiency of building and applying standards as well as the internationalisation of national standards, an official has said.

Ha Minh Hiep, Deputy Director General of the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality, said the strategy will also help accelerate the formation of a national standard system to promote technological innovation and raise the productivity and quality of goods.

It will prescribe basic principles and orientations, build a master action programme, and develop mid- and long-term standard systems at the national or global levels, Hiep continued.

According to Pham Thao Phuong, deputy head of the department of standards under the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality, the strategy sets the specific targets like issuing Vietnamese standards for national and key products, and raising Vietnam’s harmonisation rate with international, regional and foreign standards to at least 65% by 2025 and 70-75% by 2030.

As Vietnam is integrating into the global economy and has become a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, as well as new-generation free trade agreements, the country has to observe stringent regulations and requirements on technical standards in foreign markets.

In fact, Vietnamese goods draw warnings from foreign countries repeatedly due to their failure in satisfying technical standards and barriers set by importers.

The Vietnam Sanitary and Phytosanitary Notification Authority and Enquiry Point (SPS Vietnam) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reported that last year it received nearly 1,000 notices relating to food safety and animal and plant quarantine. The complaints are up 10% year-on-year, mostly from Japan with 83 notices, followed by Brazil, the EU, Canada, and the US.

Over the past time, the Party and the Government have issued many guidelines, policies and mechanisms aiming to step up the building of standards, making them an effective tool in sustainable socio-economic development and improving national competitiveness.

However, limitations still remain in the standardisation process due to the lack of attention, incentives and data, along with difficulties relating to personnel and equipment./.