China’s SPS regulations and Decree No. 280 impose stricter requirements on traceability, food safety, and production facility registration for exported agricultural products.

SPS regulations become a “passport” for agricultural exports

On May 14, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, in coordination with the People’s Committee of Dak Lak Province, organized a conference on “Updating and disseminating information on food safety and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) regulations under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement and China’s Decree No. 280.”

In his opening remarks, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Vo Van Hung stated that participation in next-generation free trade agreements (FTAs), particularly the RCEP Agreement, has created significant opportunities for Vietnamese agricultural and food products to gain deeper access to international markets.

However, alongside these opportunities come increasingly stringent requirements from importing countries regarding food safety, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, traceability, labeling, packaging, and raw material area management.

According to Deputy Minister Vo Van Hung, in the context of global agricultural trade shifting toward greater transparency and value chain-based quality control, compliance with SPS requirements is no longer merely a technical issue but has become a mandatory condition for maintaining market access and enhancing competitiveness.

The RCEP Agreement currently connects major economies in the Asia-Pacific region, including ASEAN countries along with China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. Effective implementation of SPS commitments under RCEP not only helps expand export markets but also requires Vietnamese enterprises to improve their compliance capabilities in line with international standards and technical regulations.

For the Chinese market, one of Vietnam’s largest export destinations for agricultural, forestry, and fishery products, the imported food management system is being strengthened in a more stringent and synchronized manner.

Notably, on October 14, 2025, the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) issued Decree No. 280 on the registration of overseas food production facilities exporting to China. This decree will take effect from June 1, 2026, replacing former Decree 248. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, this is a significant change directly affecting regulatory agencies, enterprises, cooperatives, and production and processing facilities in Vietnam that are exporting or planning to export to China.

In addition to Decree No. 280, China has continuously updated new requirements related to production facility registration, food safety control, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, labeling, packaging, and traceability through Notice No. 219 dated November 7, 2025 and Notice No. 27 dated March 18, 2026. If enterprises fail to proactively understand these new regulations and adequately prepare documentation, production conditions, and quality control systems in accordance with requirements, export disruptions may occur.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has identified strengthening SPS implementation capacity as a key task, aiming to shift from the mindset of “meeting market requirements” to “proactively building competitiveness through standards, quality, and transparency.”

Proactively standardizing production chains and traceability systems

At the conference, experts and regulatory agencies updated participants on various topics related to SPS regulations under RCEP; Decree No. 280 and new GACC notices; guidance on registration of food production facilities for plant, animal, and seafood products exported to China; as well as labeling and packaging regulations for agricultural and food products in several RCEP markets.

Mr. Ngo Xuan Nam, Deputy Director of the Vietnam SPS Office, stated that the conference provided an opportunity for local authorities, industry associations, enterprises, and cooperatives to promptly update new regulations while addressing difficulties and obstacles in the registration process and maintenance of export conditions.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has requested local authorities, associations, and enterprises to proactively review the entire production, processing, and export chain; strengthen quality control; standardize documentation, growing area codes, packing facility codes, and traceability systems; and regularly update SPS regulations in importing markets to improve adaptability and competitiveness.

According to assessments from specialized agencies, effective implementation of SPS regulations and compliance with new requirements from the Chinese market will contribute to promoting Vietnam’s agricultural, forestry, and fishery exports in a safer, higher-quality, more transparent, and sustainable direction.

The Central Highlands, South Central Coast, and Southeast regions are key agricultural production areas supplying major export products such as coffee, pepper, fruit, livestock products, forestry products, and processed foods. These regions are also priority areas for improving SPS compliance capacity, developing safe raw material zones, and building sustainable production chains.

Source: Bao Cong Thuong