Dragon fruit is among products allowed to enter Chinese market. (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Understanding China’s technical regulations as wellas sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements will help Vietnamese firms boostagricultural product exports to the neighbouring country via official channelsto gain higher turnover, experts have recommended.
At a seminar held in Hanoi on December 24, Deputy Director of the Ministry ofIndustry and Trade (MoIT)’s Trade Promotion Agency Doan Thi Thu Thuy said thatVietnam-China trade ties have enjoyed robust development in recent years, andChina has been among largest trade partners of Vietnam thanks to theirsimilarities in culture and customs.
As shipments to China have increased in recent years, Vietnam has narrowed downits trade gap with the neighbouring country, with trade deficit falling from 28billion USD in 2016 to 22.7 billion USD in 2017, said Nguyen Huu Quan, arepresentative of the MoIT’s Department for Asian and African Markets.
Two-way trade during January-November hit 97.25 billion USD, a year-on-yearsurge of 16.07 percent, of which Vietnam exported 37.66 billion USD worth ofproducts, up 21.7 percent from the same time last year.
According to Vietnamese Trade Counselor in China Dao Viet Anh, Vietnameseaquatic products, particularly frozen shrimps, tra fish, crab and octopus,among others, have been favoured in China.
The southwestern region of China has huge demand for cutlass fish while Yunnanprovince is also in need of seafood imports, Anh said, adding that buttransportation and customs clearance pose challenges for Vietnamese firms to bringtheir products to the Chinese market.
Currently, Vietnamese dragon fruits, water melon, litchi, longan, mango,rambutan, banana and jackfruit have been allowed to enter China, andnegotiations are underway for custard apple, passion fruit, pomelo, mangosteen,and rose apple, he added.
At the seminar, experts suggested establishing cooperation mechanisms amongmanagers, businesses and farmers to ensure food safety in the value chain. Theysaid that this will help exporters build rational promotion campaigns for bothdomestic and foreign markets.-VNA
VNA
