Tapping the UK market: standards compliance key to turning tariff relief into contracts

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Ms. Ho Thi Quyen, Deputy Director of the Investment and Trade Promotion Centre of Ho Chi Minh City (ITPC), emphasized that point at a seminar titled "Strategies for Accessing the…

The United Kingdom is a major economy with high purchasing power and a sophisticated distribution network, but it also imposes stringent requirements on product quality, technical specifications, food safety, traceability, and environmental and social responsibility.

Ms. Ho Thi Quyen, Deputy Director of the Investment and Trade Promotion Centre of Ho Chi Minh City (ITPC), emphasized that point at a seminar titled "Strategies for Accessing the UK Market via CPTPP and UKVFTA" on November 10.

At the workshop, trade experts noted that the ability to capitalize on tariff incentives under both agreements must be viewed in tandem with corporate compliance capabilities. While reduced import duties may deliver a price advantage, converting that edge into commercial orders and long-term trade partnerships requires businesses to satisfy increasingly rigorous market demands.

The parallel implementation of the UK–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) with the UK officially joining on December 15, 2024, has expanded options for Vietnamese exporters. However, as each trade pact features distinct rules of origin (ROO) and cumulation mechanisms, enterprises must evaluate their raw material sources, production setups, and product characteristics to select the most advantageous framework.

According to Mr. Trinh Huynh Quang Canh, a lecturer at the School of International Business and Marketing under the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, the UKVFTA, which entered into force on May 1, 2021, targets the elimination of 99% of bilateral tariff lines after six to seven years, which is estimated to save Vietnamese exporters approximately £114 million in duties on shipments to the UK.

Under the UKVFTA, goods utilize the EUR.1 UK Certificate of Origin (C/O) and benefit from extended cumulation with inputs sourced from EU member states, as well as a designated mechanism for South Korean fabrics.

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