Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha addresses the 9th China–South Asia Expo and the 29th Kunming Import and Export Fair, Yunnan province, China, June 19, 2025 - Photo: VGP/Dinh Nam

Tran made that statement while addressing the 9th China–South Asia Expo and the 29th Kunming Import and Export Fair in China's Yunnan province on June 19.

The Vietnamese official hailed the role of the China–South Asia Expo and the Kunming Import and Export Fair in promoting connectivity and sharing opportunities for harmonious, sustainable, and inclusive development between South Asian economies and China.

He also commended China for consistently upholding multilateralism and free trade, as well as its efforts to align its development strategies with South Asia and strengthen regional integration.

Tran called on countries to enhance dialogue, strengthen a rules-based, open, free, fair, and transparent multilateral trading system, and support each other to maintain complementary and mutually beneficial supply and production chains, thereby creating favorable conditions for their people and businesses.

The Deputy Prime Minister also called for joint efforts to address bottlenecks and barriers in regional supply chains, expand market access opportunities for each other's goods, strengthen cooperation in smart customs, mutually recognize standards, and minimize unnecessary protectionist barriers in order to promote trade and investment among countries.

Tran highlighted the potential and strengths of Viet Nam's economy, as well as recent bold reforms in four key pillars: (i) science and technology, innovation, international integration, (ii) law-making and law enforcement; (iii) private economy development, and (iv) international integration.

Viet Nam will continue to join hands with China and other countries in the region to boost comprehensive cooperation, trade and investment, and connectivity in transport infrastructure, expand people-to-people exchanges, and develop tourism all for the region's prosperous development and for the benefit of the business communities and citizens of each country, Tran affirmed.

On the occasion, the Deputy Prime Minister visited the pavilion showcasing Viet Nam's key products.

As many as 70 Vietnamese enterprises participated in the expo with 130 booths in fields of seafood, cashew nuts, black pepper, coffee, dragon fruit, dried cassava, products made from Ben Tre coconut, footwear, perfumes, wooden furniture, and more./.