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Selling Vietnamese Seafood into China in 2026: GACC Decree 280 and What Changed

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TBES News

04 Nov, 2026

China is now the largest driver of Vietnam's seafood growth. In the first nine months of 2026, China and Hong Kong bought about USD 2.3 billion of Vietnamese seafood, roughly a quarter of total exports and around 62% of this year's growth. Total seafood exports in the period reached USD 9.1 billion, up 11.4%.

The rules for that trade changed on 1 June 2026, when GACC Decree 280 replaced Decree 248 on the registration of overseas food manufacturers. Importers sourcing from Vietnam should check that their suppliers are set up under the new decree.

1. Plant registration under Decree 280

Every overseas plant exporting food to China must be registered with the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC). Aquatic products are one of 17 categories that need an audit and a recommendation letter from the exporting country's competent authority. Under Decree 280, cold stores holding aquatic products are now covered as well.

Registration lasts five years and renews automatically, unless the plant is under rectification or its country is under an import suspension. Filing is through the CIFER system, and every customs declaration must carry the plant's registration number.

On the Vietnamese side, the competent authority assesses the plant, issues the recommendation letter and submits the file to GACC.

2. Documents for each shipment

Each shipment needs an official health certificate issued by the Vietnamese authority, and the product must be on China's approved list for Vietnamese aquatic products. Decree 249, in force since January 2022, sets the wider framework for import and export food safety.

Buyers should confirm three things before ordering: the plant's GACC registration number, that the product is on the approved list, and that the health certificate will be issued for each lot.

3. Chinese labels

Prepackaged food must carry a Chinese label. GB 7718-2011 applies today. A new version, GB 7718-2025, was published in March 2025 and takes effect on 16 March 2027. Importers printing new label stocks in 2027 should work to the new standard.

4. Tariffs

China's most-favoured-nation rate on frozen shrimp under HS 0306.17 is 5%, with a provisional rate of 2%, and VAT is 9%. Fish and crustaceans were part of the early-harvest programme under the ASEAN–China FTA, which brought most lines in HS chapters 1 to 8 to zero. Buyers should confirm the preferential rate for each HS line with their customs broker and make sure a valid Form E travels with the documents.

5. What China is buying

Lobster leads Vietnamese seafood sales to China, with more than USD 506 million in the first five months of 2026, almost all of it spiny lobster. Shrimp to China and Hong Kong passed USD 1.2 billion in 2025, up about 60%, and squid and octopus are growing as well.

Chinese buyers increasingly look for suppliers who can offer several species under one set of documents. TBESFOOD's range covers vannamei and black tiger shrimp, slipper lobster, scampi, squid, cuttlefish, baby octopus, clam, frozen fish and value-added seafood.

Working with TBESFOOD

TBESFOOD COMPANY LIMITED, a member of TBES Group, has exported seafood from Vietnam since 2016 and ships to 30 countries. Contact our export team at export@tbesfood.com to review specifications and registration documents for the Chinese market.