Vietnam seeks China’s support in addressing issues in bilateral economic cooperation, including opening its market for Vietnamese farm produce to further facilitate trade cooperation between enterprises from the two countries.

Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien (r) and Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Xiong Bo (l) at the meeting. Source: MoIT

Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien made the statement in a meeting with the Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam, Xiong Bo, at a recent meeting.

Among specific measures, Dien called for China to exempt Covid-19 testing for Vietnam’s agricultural, seafood and frozen food products, along with the reopening of border-gates and markets that are being closed due to the pandemic.

“I look forward to supporting from Chinese authorities for the distribution of Vietnam’s major agricultural products, especially those whose harvesting seasons are approaching such as lychees, longans, and mangos from northern provinces of Bac Giang, Hai Doung and Son La,” Dien added.

Dien stressed that the Vietnamese government gives strong priority to its comprehensive strategic relations with China, especially in trade and economic cooperation.

“Bilateral trade relations have been on the rise despite severe Covid-19 impacts and global economic recession,” Dien noted.

Minister Dien gifts a bag of Vietnamese lychees to the Chinese Ambassador

On his part, the Chinese Ambassador referred to the shared view between Vietnam’s State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during the phone talk on May 24 of further expanding cooperation in all spheres between the two countries.

“In this regard, trade and economic cooperation continue to be the highlight as Vietnam is now China’s sixth-largest trading partner since 2020, rising two ranks against last year,” Xiong Bo added.

The ambassador expressed his commitment to contribute to deepening economic trade relations and stabilizing supply chains between Vietnam and China.

For the first four months of 2021, trade turnover between the two surged by 43% to US$50.21 billion. Of which, Vietnam’s export turnover reached US$16.29 billion, up 28.04% year-on-year, and imports of US$33.92 billion, or an increase of 51.57%. 

China remained Vietnam’s largest import market and the second-largest buyer.