THÁI NGUYÊN — The northern province of Thái Nguyên has implemented many policies to support local businesses in maximising the potential benefits of the UKVFTA, opening up multiple opportunities for exports to the UK.

Nguyễn Huy Hoàng, deputy director of the province’s Department of Industry and Trade (DoIT), said that over the years, Thái Nguyên has always been in the group of the nation’s leading localities in export value.

“UKVFTA is considered an important agreement that opens the way for Vietnamese goods to have many export opportunities, including for businesses in Thái Nguyên,” he said.

The province now has 11 enterprises with goods imported into the UK market.

“Local exporters have taken advantage of the UKVFTA to maximise export opportunities when exporting to this market,” he said.

The province’s export items to the UK market include mobile phones and components, machinery, equipment, spare parts, textiles, wood and wood products, and iron and steel of all kinds.

“These products are the country’s major export items and enjoy incentives under the UKVFTA,” he said.

As a result, in the first 11 months of 2024, the export value of these items to the UK reached US$685 million, accounting for 2.6 per cent of the province's total export value.

Main export products include wooden flooring products, plastic flooring, phones and components, garment products, and medical equipment.

Import value from the UK market reached $250 million, including raw materials for the production of Dainess fashion helmets, temporarily imported mobile phone and computer components, and other raw materials.

The province has assigned specific tasks to departments, branches, sectors and relevant agencies to effectively implement and exploit the UKVFTA, including carrying out dissemination on information about UKVFTA and the UK market, and providing legal support guidance to businesses during their investment and production process in accordance with regulations and commitments in the UKVFTA.

The provincial DoIT also advised the provincial People's Committee to closely coordinate with the local agencies on international economic integration and relevant ministries, branches and localities to ensure effective implementation of the agreement.

The province continues to promote the application of information technology in administrative procedure reform, enhance the provision of online public administrative services (OPASs), and improve the provincial competitiveness index (PCI).

It has implemented social policies, including financial support, vocational training and career transition; and provided consulting services and job introductions to labourers.​ 

In the coming time, the department will set out a number of solutions to help local businesses increase their exports into the UK.

First, it will continue to propagate the Party's guidelines and the State's policies on economic integration, such as the signed and implemented Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), including the UKVFTA, that have advantages for industries in Thái Nguyên.

It will identify the province's strengths, focusing on local key products such as garments, machines, and processed agricultural products.

It will continue to raise awareness for local businesses to understand the culture and business practices of the UK market, and change their sales mindset to meet UK market needs.

It will also encourage local businesses to diversify their products to meet the growing demand for high-end products of UK customers.

Finally, it will coordinate with relevant agencies to promote investment attraction in local projects in fields and industries taking advantage of opportunities from the UKVFTA and other FTAs.

To achieve the best results in implementing the UKVFTA, the department has proposed that the Government and relevant ministries and sectors strengthen support to analyse and provide information on the UK market, and demand for product groups; build the province’s brands in the UK; and provide information on barriers to entering this market and ways to overcome these barriers.

It asked to support the development of human resources, especially FTA implementation experts, to increase the effectiveness of FTA implementation.

It suggested organising seminars for business ecosystems based on key industry groups in order to identify the tasks and coordination work of relevant agencies in supporting and promoting local exporters effectively.

It also proposed the Vietnamese Trade Office in the UK provide Thái Nguyên a list of reputable firms that have a need to import key products of Thái Nguyên; and support the organisation of programmes connecting exporters of Thái Nguyên with traders in the UK in the coming time. — VNS