Vietnam calls for the Chinese Government and Yunnan Province to enhance trade facilitation and accelerate market access for Vietnamese agricultural goods, seafood, and processed products.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang at the event. Photos: Hai Minh

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang made the remarks at the 7th China-South Asia Exposition and the 27th China Kunming Import & Export Fair on August 16.

Quang noted that Vietnam has actively participated in this trade event this year with large business delegations and representatives from seven provinces and cities.

These include the capital of Hanoi, showcasing 130 standard booths, displaying a wide range of products from traditional sectors such as food, beverages, footwear, aquatic products, furniture and handicrafts.

"The Vietnamese Government attaches great importance to promoting economic, trade, industrial and investment relations with China and South Asian countries. China, as a major trading partner of Vietnam over the past two decades, plays a pivotal role," Quang said, adding that this relationship further solidifies Vietnam's position as China's fourth largest trading partner and China's largest trading partner within ASEAN.

Significantly, the recent visit of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to China marked the beginning of a new phase in bilateral relations. This trajectory will be guided by the strategic directions set by the leaders of both nations. Moreover, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's official visit to China in June reaffirmed the determination of the two countries' leaders to intensify and deepen their cooperative partnership.

Overview of the event.

In the broader context of relations with China, Yunnan Province plays a pivotal role as a gateway market linking Southwest China with Vietnam and other ASEAN countries. The prospects for economic, trade, investment and tourism cooperation between Yunnan and Vietnam remain promising and expansive. In particular, there are many opportunities to expand imports of high-quality agricultural and aquatic products from Vietnam. There is also significant potential for cooperation in wood processing.

Recognizing Yunnan's vital role in China's cooperation with Vietnam and ASEAN countries, the Vice Premier proposed that the Chinese Government and Yunnan Province continue their concerted efforts to advance comprehensive and extensive economic, trade and tourism partnerships. This cooperation aims to enhance Yunnan's contribution to the broader economic and trade cooperation between Vietnam and China, and, more broadly, with countries in the region.

"Looking ahead, Vietnam expects to strengthen comprehensive relations with China and other regional countries via efforts to promote trade and investment, enhance transport infrastructure connectivity, expand opportunities for people-to-people exchanges, and promote tourism growth. These collective efforts aim to foster regional prosperity and serve the interests of both the business community and citizens of each nation," Quang added.

Guided by this spirit, the Vice-Premier recommended the continued promotion of the China-South Asia Expo and advocated an enriched and diversified range of cooperation forms within its framework. The goal is to transform this platform into an effective channel of cooperation between China, Yunnan Province and other regional countries. This endeavor will contribute to expanding import and export markets for goods and vigorously promote investment, transportation networks and tourism links.

To create an environment conducive for enterprises from other participating countries to invest in the southwest expansion of China, the Vietnamese Deputy PM expected the Chinese Government and Yunnan Province to continue to streamline trade procedures. This includes accelerating the opening of markets for agricultural, aquatic, and processed products, while improving the efficiency of customs clearance procedures.

The 7th China-South Asia Expo, held from August 15 to 20, saw the participation of 85 countries, territories and international organizations, including all the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) members. Over the years, trade between China and South Asian countries has witnessed robust growth, increasing at an average rate of 8.3% from US$100 billion in 2013 to US$197.4 billion in 2022.