People shop for China-made leather products at the fair. — VNA/VNS Photo Duc Hieu
A Viet Nam-China international trade and tourism fair, themed 'Co-operation expansion – Sustainable development' kicked off in Mong Cai City in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh on Sunday.
The annual fair is held alternately in Mong Cai and Dongxing City in the Chinese province of Guangxi. This year's version has attracted 400 stalls, including 300 domestic and 100 foreign displays.
The event is an opportunity for the two nations' firms expand their markets and seek new trade partners. It will wrap up this Saturday.
Within the framework of the fair, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Quang Ninh People’s Committee will hold a connectivity conference to promote exports of agro-forestry-fisheries products to China.
Delegates from the two countries will provide information on import-export policies, and advise firms how to deal with difficulties to create opportunities to expand economic ties.
A tourism promotion forum and exhibition on socio-economic achievements, and cultural and economic exchanges are also included.
Economic and trade relations between Viet Nam and China have been developing, as shown by the increase of bilateral trade turnover, experts have said.
Two-way trade topped US$106.1 billion in 11 months of 2019, according to the General Statistics Office.
Of the total, Viet Nam exported $37.4 billion worth of goods to China, down 1 per cent year-on-year while its imports from this neighbour saw a yearly rise of 15 per cent to $68.7 billion. That meant Viet Nam recorded a trade deficit of $31.3 billion with China in the period, up 42 per cent year-on-year.
According to the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment, China invested more than $3.56 billion in Viet Nam in January-November, making it the country’s fourth largest source of foreign investment.
As of November 20, it had 2,739 projects in Viet Nam with total investment of more than $16.1 billion, ranking seventh among 132 countries and territories investing in the country. — VNS