Can Tho hopes to increase rice exports to China, city officials said at a meeting with the China Food Association on August 8.

China’s demand for Vietnamese rice remains high, Wang Zhi Xi, head of the visiting Chinese delegation, said, revealing his company sells around 800 tonnes of Vietnamese rice daily.

China is Viet Nam’s largest trading partner, while Viet Nam is China’s largest ASEAN partner and eighth largest overall.

Last year their trade was worth US$93.69 billion, a 30.3 per cent rise from 2016.

China imported 3.99 million tonnes of rice, 13 per cent more than in the previous year, with Viet Nam supplying more than 2.2 million tonnes.

In the first six months Viet Nam has sold 850,000 tonnes.

But Dao Viet Anh, commercial counsellor at Viet Nam’s embassy in Beijing, said Vietnamese rice exports to China could face difficulties in future and are unlikely to increase as rapidly again as in the last few years due to changes to China’s import tax in July and competition from other countries.

Nguyen Minh Toai, director of the Can Tho Department of Industry and Trade, said the city has only four businesses that meet China’s quality standards for direct rice exports.

The city would assist firms in improving quality to help them export to China, networking and promoting their brands, he promised. – VNS