A Vietnam - China teleconference on farm produce, fisheries, and food trade took place on June 18.

The event was co-hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE) and the Council for the Promotion of International Trade of Chongqing (CCPIT Chonqing).

Addressing the teleconference, VIETRADE Deputy Director General Le Hoang Tai described China as Vietnam’s largest market among more than 200 countries and territories engaged in trade with Vietnam.

Vietnam has close trade ties with many Chinese cities and provinces, including Chongqing - one of the four centrally-run cities that is a significant trade partner.

VIETRADE, he said, established a trade promotion office in Jiangbei district, Chongqing city in 2015 to help Chinese enterprises seek long-term opportunities with Vietnamese partners.

He invited Chongqing businesses to join the Vietnam Foodexpo scheduled for November 18-21 in HCM City, where thousands of quality farm produce and food products from prestigious Vietnamese companies will be available.

Tai hopes that CCPIT Chongqing will work closely with VIETRADE to diversify trade and exchanges between the two sides.

An official from CCPIT Chongqing committed to creating favourable conditions for Vietnamese companies to do business in the city.

Following the teleconference, Vietnamese and Chinese companies joined online trade sessions to share information and seek business opportunities, which will last until June 19.

According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, annual two-way trade between Vietnam and China surpassed US$100 billion during the past two years. The figure hit US$44.35 billion in the first five months of this year, up nearly 2% year-on-year.

Vietnam’s exports to China topped US$15.9 billion, up 17.4%, while imports hit US$28.3 billion, down over 5%.