Vietnam, China seek measures to promote agricultural trade

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong held a reception for Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Xiong Bo on April 16 to discuss measures to boost agricultural cooperation and the trade of agricultural products between the two countries amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vehicles waiting to conduct procedures to export goods to China through the Kim Thanh II border gate. (Photo: VNA)
Vehicles waiting to conduct procedures to export goods to China through the Kim Thanh II border gate. (Photo: VNA)

According to the minister, agricultural trade between Vietnam and China decreased by 7% in the first months of this year compared to the same period last year due to the impact of the pandemic.

The two sides have strengthened measures to control the pandemic, leading to slow clearance of goods at border gates. Besides the trade of agricultural products, the working of high-level delegations between the ministries of the two countries has also been disrupted.

The Chinese side has granted export licences for nine Vietnamese fruits and vegetables and the two sides are working to complete the procedures to grant licences to an additional eight Vietnamese agricultural products.

Minister Cuong expressed his wish that the Ambassador will actively support Vietnam in dealing with the requirements from China as soon as possible so that more Vietnamese agricultural products will be allowed to enter the Chinese market.

The Chinese Ambassador said that Vietnam is the largest and most important trade partner of China in ASEAN, accounting for 25% of China’s trade with ASEAN countries.

Regarding the congestion of goods at border gates, the Ambassador said that China has also paid much attention to this issue and believed that it is only a temporary problem and the two sides will make all efforts necessary to overcome these tough times.

He noted that the Chinese customs have taken many measures to shorten clearance times and he also proposed a number of measures for Vietnam to improve its clearance capacity.

The two sides agreed that once the pandemic is under control, they will focus on speeding up bilateral trade to gain higher import-export revenues compared to those in 2019.