Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted a reception for Chinese Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu in Ha Noi on Monday. — Photo chinhphu.vn

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted a reception for Chinese Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu in Ha Noi on Monday, during which the PM said that the countries should promote agricultural co-operation, contributing to balancing bilateral trade.

Lauding the Chinese delegation’s visit, the PM spoke highly of the partnership between the two agriculture ministries over the past 70 years and the recent signing of a number of agreements on trade on farm produce.

He said trade ties between Viet Nam and China have expanded strongly over the years, and Viet Nam is the biggest trade partner of China among ASEAN members.

For his part, Han thanked the Vietnamese PM for supporting ties in agriculture between the two countries.

He told his host that during talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Cuong, the two sides discussed various issues related to co-operation in agriculture and rural development, as well as application of science and technology in agriculture, agricultural product processing and collaboration mechanisms between the two sides.

PM Phuc proposed the two ministries strengthen partnerships in science and technology, asking the Chinese side to support Viet Nam in training agricultural experts.

They should continue working to tell fishermen of the two countries about the memorandum of understanding on bilateral co-operation in releasing and protecting aquatic resources, signed between the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture in 2017.

He suggested the two sides strengthen co-operation in dealing with issues related to fishing boats and fishermen, while pushing ahead the negotiations and signing of a bilateral agreement on setting up a hotline for unexpected incidents in fishing at sea. — VNS