China set to increase agricultural imports from Vietnamese market
VOV.VN - China will move to increase imports of agricultural products from Vietnam and ensure smooth customs clearances occurs at border gates, Chinese media quoted Premier Li Keqiang as saying in a recent phone talk with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh.
In a recent phone talk with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang noted that the northern neighbour is willing to expand economic and trade co-operation with the country and will also increase direct flights between both sides as a means of facilitating people’s travel.
China represents a large market with strong purchasing power, with Chinese consumers especially keen on agricultural products, while Vietnamese agricultural exports enjoy plenty of advantages in terms of taste compared to those of China.
For many years, China had been the largest consumer of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables, which accounted for nearly 65% of the northern neighbour's fruit exports throughout the first four months of last year, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Dang Phuc Nguyen, general secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, said China remains the leading consumer of Vietnamese dragon fruit, accounting for 80% of total exports, adding that dragon fruit made up a third of Vietnamese fruit and vegetable exports worth US$3.27 billion last year.
Despite these strong figures, the Chinese market has recently recorded several changes in terms of its import policy, with the application of stricter regulations relating to product quality, food safety, and traceability.
Last year saw total bilateral trade between the two sides reach US$234 billion, accounting for over 26% of China's trade with ASEAN.
Trade activities between the Chinese side and the nation has witnessed growth since the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which came into force on January 1.
RCEP is widely considered to be the world's largest free trade agreement that involves 15 member countries, comprising almost a third of the global population and some 30% of global gross domestic product.
