Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc suggested Viet Nam and China should further strengthen agriculture cooperation in a bid to balance the two-way trade.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) receives Chinese Minister of Agriculture
and Rural Affairs Han Changfu at the Government Office in Ha Noi
on October 14, 2019. Photo: VGP

 The Government chief made the suggestion at his reception for Chinese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Han Changfu in Ha Noi on Monday.

Viet Nam has become China’s biggest trade partner in ASEAN with the bilateral trade volume reaching nearly US$107 billion last year, up 13.5% against 2017, in which Viet Nam’s export value rose nearly 17% to US$41 billion, according to Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Phuc applauded friendly cooperative ties between the two countries’ agriculture ministries over the past 70 years, especially their recent singing of documents on farm produce trading.

He urged the sides to step up agro-tech cooperation while asking the Chinese side to provide technical training for Viet Nam.

Both sides also need to enhance cooperation in addressing issues related to fishermen and boats and accelerate talks for an agreement on establishment of a hotline to deal with emerging matters in this domain.

For his part, Han briefed about the outcomes of his talks with Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong, during which both sides discussed on a wide range of issues in the bilateral agricultural cooperation.

He expressed his belief that the bilateral ties in this area will continue advancing, particularly in the context of the 70th founding anniversary of Viet Nam-China relationship in 2020./.