The 12th meeting of the Vietnam-China Economic and Trade Cooperation Committee in Hanoi on November 27 (Photo: VNA) 

Hanoi (VNA) – The 12th meeting of the Vietnam-China Economic and Trade Cooperation Committee took place in Hanoi onNovember 27 under the co-chair by Vietnamese Minister of Industry and TradeNguyen Hong Dien and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao who is on an officialvisit to Vietnam from November 25 – 28.

In his speech, Dien said this is concreteevidence of the increasingly important role of the Vietnam - China economic cooperation andtrade for each country's economy.

Dien suggested the Chinese side support Vietnamese businesses in building trademarksin China and open its market for more Vietnamese agricultural products, and urged thesigning of a framework agreement on rice trade between the two nations.

Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien (Photo: VNA) 

The minister called on Chinese authorities to set a transition period for spiny lobsters imported into China, and expand the list of border gates between China andVietnam that are allowed to import agricultural and aquatic products, and food.

Dien also mentioned Vietnam’s plan to complete procedures toestablish a trade promotion office in Haikou, Hainan, China in 2023; and strengtheneconomic and trade cooperation and work coordination between the Ministry ofIndustry and Trade (MoIT) and Vietnamese localities and Chinese localities.

He urged the Chinese side to effectively implement signed agreements and support Vietnamese businesses to increase theirpresence, rent warehouses, and export goods through China's e-commerce pilotzones or free trade pilot zones.

The Chinese delegation at the meeting (Photo: VNA)

For his part, the Chinese official stressed that the Chinese market has great demand and welcomeshigh-quality agricultural products from Vietnam.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce will continue to coordinate and push the Chinese Customs to open the market for Vietnamese agriculturalproducts, he affirmed.

Regarding problems in exporting spiny lobsters, Wang said thatVietnamese businesses need to urgently register production and packagingfacilities with the Chinese Customs, while authorities of the two countries need tosoon carry out inspection and assessment of businesses and cultivating areas in adirect or online form so that spiny lobsters of Vietnam can be exported toChina.

For Vietnam’s proposal to coordinate customs activities to avoid the recurrenceof goods congestion at border gates, Wang said that the Chinese Ministry ofCommerce attaches great importance to and is ready to coordinate in implementingmeasures to facilitate customs clearance, thus ensuring the interests ofVietnamese farmers.

The Chinese side will provide a favourable business environmentand create conditions for Vietnamese businesses to build a foothold in theChinese marke, he said, expressing the joy that Vietnam has built nationalpavilions on some of major e-commerce platforms of China.

Economic and trade relations among Vietnamese and Chinese localitiesplay an important role in promoting economic and trade cooperation between thetwo countries, Minister Wang affirmed, adding that the Chinese side highlyvalues efforts by the MoIT to build cooperation mechanisms with Guangxi andYunnan provinces of China.

🐻 The Chinese ministry will support the Vietnamese ministry in establishingcooperative relationships with Chinese localities with economic strengths andexpanding relations between the two sides’ localities.

China supports Vietnam in setting up its trade promotion officesin China, he said, suggesting the Vietnamese side enhance exchange and reach agreementswith authorities of localities where it plans to place offices.

He urged the two sides to discuss and push their Ministries ofForeign Affairs to speed up related procedures to establish a trade promotion officeof Vietnam in Haikou.

Responding to the Chinese side's proposal, Dien stressed thatthe MoIT is willing to promote relevant, sectors and localities of Vietnam to coordinatein opening/upgrading border gates and building smart border gates in Lang Son.He expressed the hope that China will coordinate and share experiences in tradedefense and e-commerce.

ꦦ Regarding investment, the Vietnamese side proposed Chinacontinue to implement projects using the Mekong - Lancang Cooperation Special Fund.

Meanwhile, the Chinese side also shared the hope to promotedigital economic cooperation and green development, industrial cooperation, improvebusiness and investment environment with Vietnam.

On this occasion, the two sides also discussed issues related tocooperation, negotiations to join, upgrade, and implement commitments withinmultilateral frameworks.

They reached many consensuses to promote economic and tradecooperation between Vietnam and China in the new period and agreed on a plan toorganise the 13th meeting in China.

At their retreat before the meeting,the two ministers affirmed their determination to coordinate closely and makemore efforts to effectively implement the common perceptions reached by the twocountries' senior leaders on expanding bilateral economic and trade ties recently.

China has been Vietnam's largest trading partner and goods supplier,and the second biggest export market of the Southeast Asian nation for manyyears.

Notably, Vietnambecame the fourth biggest trade partner of China in the world in 2022, and also China's largest in ASEAN.

♋ The Vietnam - China Economic and Trade Cooperation Committee isa periodic and rotating cooperation mechanism between the two governments. Thisis the first meeting held in the face-to-face form after 3 years of interruptiondue to the COVID-19 pandemic./.