CIRCULAR

GUIDING THE EXPORT AND IMPORT OF COMMODITY MINERALS IN 2000

Pursuant to the Minerals Law of March 20, 1996 and Decree No. 68/CP of November 1st, 1996 of the Government detailing the implementation of the Minerals Law;
In implementation of Decision No.242/1999/D-TTg of December 30, 1999 of the Prime Minister on the management of exports and imports in 2000;
After consulting the Ministry of Trade,
The Ministry of Industry provides the following guidance on the export and import of commodity minerals in 2000:

I. INTERPRETATION OF TERMS

The commodity minerals mentioned in this Circular include the minerals lawfully exploited and processed by organizations and individuals under provisions of legislation on minerals and commodity minerals subject to normal trading on the international market (except oil and gas).

Hereunder commodity minerals are called minerals.

II. IMPORT OF MINERALS

Enterprises of different economic sectors set up under provisions of law and provided with proper certificates of business registration, which have the need of importing minerals for their production and business activities, shall be allowed to import directly or through an entrusted importer minerals as required by the need. The enterprise that conducts the import of minerals is the one which is authorized to conduct import business as provided for in Article 8 of Decree No. 57/1998/ND-CP of July 31, 1998 of the Government detailing the implementation of the Commercial Law.

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III. EXPORT OF MINERALS

1. The minerals permitted for export are the minerals that meet the following conditions:

- Meeting the quality criteria and product specifications stipulated in the Appendix of this Circular (hereafter called Appendix for short).

- Being exploited lawfully (according to the mineral exploitation Permits or Permits of full exploitation of minerals issued under provisions of the minerals legislation);

- Not banned from export by separate prescriptions of the Prime Minister (if any);

- The domestic market has no demand or cannot consume all the minerals that have been exploited.

2. The following enterprises are allowed to export minerals:

a/ Organizations and individuals provided with mineral exploitation Permits or Permits for full exploitation of minerals (hereafter called Permit owner for short) ; or :

b/ Trading business enterprise having the function of minerals business as stated in their business registration certificate and meeting the requirements set in Article 8 of Decree No. 57/1998/ND-CP of July 31, 1998 of the Government detailing the implementation of the Commercial Law.

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4. The Permit owner can entrust the export of minerals through the enterprises permitted to export minerals mentioned at Point 2.

5. The Permit owner is entitled to market minerals in the forms: export, entrusted export, selling to enterprises in the country which need to use the minerals or to trading business enterprises mentioned at Point 2, Clause b with a total volume of consumption in the year not exceeding the exploitation capacity set in the Exploitation Permit and the actual exploitation and processing capacity. The Permit owner shall have to give priority to meeting the need of use in the country.

6. To fill the procedures for export of minerals, apart from the documents prescribed by the Customs Service, the mineral exporting enterprises shall also have to produce to the customs office at the border gate:

- A valid copy of the mineral exploitation Permit or Permit for full exploitation of minerals issued by the competent agency.

- A valid copy of the Registration of commodity quality (consistent with the quality stipulated in the Appendix) at the competent quality management agency (for the minerals with prescribed quality standards);

- The Contract of mineral trading or Contract of entrusted export of minerals signed with the Permit owner (for the export enterprises which are not Permit owners).

The above contract together with the exploitation Permit are the basis for the Customs Office to control the quantity of export minerals of the same origin not exceeding the exploitation capacity mentioned at Point 5.

7. The export of mineral coal shall conform with separate regulations.

IV. IMPLEMENTATION PROVISIONS

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2. All export of minerals not lawfully exploited or export with a quantity exceeding the exploitation capacity recorded in the Exploitation Permit (or the Permit for full exploitation) without the consent of the permit issuing agency shall be regarded as a violation of this Circular and shall be dealt with according to law.

FOR THE MINISTER OF INDUSTRY
VICE MINISTER




Le Huy Con

APPENDIX

SPECIFICATION AND CRITERIA FOR QUALITY OF EXPORT MINERALS
(issued together with Circular No.02/2000/TT-BCN of March 31, 2000)

No.

Categories of exploited and processed products

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Content

Notes

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2

3

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5

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7

8

9

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11

Products from tin ore

Chromite

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- Ilmenite

- Zircon

- Rutil

Products from lead ore

Products from copper ore

Iron ore

Antimony products

Zinc ore products

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White glass sand Sand already sorted

Wolframite

Metal bar

Refined ore

Refined ore

Refined ore

Refined ore

Raw lead, metal bar

Refined ore of lead sulfur

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Semi-dressed, refined ore

Metal bar

Zinc oxide ore

Zinc oxide powder

Refined ore of zinc sulfur

Primarily dressed ore

Exploited by

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min 99.75% Sn

min 43% Cr₂O₃

min 52% TiO₂

min 57% ZrO₂

min 82% TiO₂

min 96% Pb

min 45% Pb

min 18% Cu

min 54% Fe

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min 25% Zn

min 60% Zn

min 50% Zn

min 35% Mn

min 65% W0₃

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Khanh Hoa Minexco Company

Note: In this Appendix the term "refined ore" is equivalent to the term "enriched ore" in the "Export, Import Tax Table" issued together with Decision No. 67/1999/QD-BTC of June 24, 1999 of the Ministry of Finance.-