Chinese importers of rice have arrived in HCM City and Long An Province to find trading opportunities with Vietnamese counterparts, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Import-Export Department.

The Chinese delegation of 22 enterprises included rice import companies from Guangdong Province, China. This was the second time this year the Chinese business delegation visited Viet Nam to promote co-operation between the two countries in the rice sector.

China is a major importer of Vietnamese rice, accounting for about 25 per cent of Viet Nam’s total rice exports. In the first 10 months this year, export volume to China reached 1.24 million tonnes, worth US$640 million. In the Chinese market, Vietnamese rice products accounted for nearly 50 per cent of China’s total rice imports.

Viet Nam and China have great potential to boost their rice trade thanks to Viet Nam’s strong capacity of rice production and favourable location next to China, according to the department.

The department said strengthening trade with China will expand Viet Nam’s consumption market. Meanwhile, the Chinese market will have a stable supply of quality rice from Viet Nam with competitive prices and convenient delivery to meet demand.

The visit, which ended on November 17, was one of the activities under the trade promotion programme for rice this year. The visit was organised by the Export-Import Department and the Asia-Africa Market Department in co-operation with the Viet Nam Trade Office’s branch in Guangzhou Province, China and Long An Province’s Department of Industry and Trade.

During the visit, the Chinese delegation attended events connecting Vietnamese enterprises and Chinese partners, trips to rice production and processing facilities in Long An Province and a Food Expo in HCM City. — VNS