ACC Secretary-General Attended Viet Nam-China Trade and Investment Matchmaking Meeting and Delivered Remarks

Source:ASEAN-China Centre

On 24 November 2015, the Viet Nam-China Trade and Investment Matchmaking Meeting was held in Hanoi, Viet Nam. The Meeting was organized by the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) and China Chamber of Commerce of Imp & Exp of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-products (CFNA) and supported by Hanoi Promotion Agency, Chinese Embassy to Viet Nam, Vietnamese Embassy to China, Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Viet Nam Feeds Association. ACC Secretary-General H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping attended the Meeting and delivered remarks. Mr. Rong Weidong, Vice President of CFNA, Mr. Truong Viet Duang, Deputy Director of Hanoi Promotion Agency, Mr. Yan Yaoxin, First Secretary of the Economic and Commercial Counselors' Office of the Chinese Embassy to Viet Nam, Mr. Gu Chaoqing, President of Business Association of China in Viet Nam, Mr. Le Bo Lich, President of Viet Nam Feeds Association and around 80 entrepreneurs from both China and Viet Nam attended the Meeting.

Secretary-General Yang said that 2015 marked the 65th anniversary of the establishment of Viet Nam-China diplomatic relations. The successful mutual state visits paid by the heads of the two parties had pushed forward the development of the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership in a sustainable, sound and steady way. During President Xi's visit to Viet Nam in November this year, the leaders of both sides agreed to strengthen the matching of development strategies and make new progress on pragmatic cooperation. ASEAN was the priority of China's cooperation with East Asian countries and the priority of China's neighboring diplomacy. The ASEAN-China relations had been developing soundly. The next five-year Plan of Action to Implement the Joint Declaration on ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity was adopted between the two sides. By October this year, the bilateral trade volume had reached 379.2 billion USD, better than China's overall foreign trade. With the increasing achievements of bilateral investment, the steady development of regional economy integration, as well as the deepening of connectivity, the negotiations of the upgraded China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement was accomplished. Next year would mark the 25th anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations. Under the new situation, the two sides should focus on the long-term, seize the opportunity, work together, and actively implement the consensus reached by leaders of the two sides, to raise the cooperation between China and Viet Nam to a new level and to make new contributions to deepen the pragmatic cooperation between China and ASEAN.

Mr. Rong Weidong said both China and Viet Nam were blessed with abundant agricultural resources. Agriculture had played an important role in the economies of both countries. To strengthen agricultural cooperation was meaningful for guaranteeing bilateral food security and improving the competitiveness of agricultural products. China and Viet Nam have complimented each other in terms of agricultural products. Viet Nam was China's biggest export destination and fourth largest import origin in ASEAN. In the first quarter of 2015, China's exports of agricultural products to Vietnam reached 2.39 billion USD, a year-on-year increase of 15.3%. China's imports of agricultural products from Viet Nam reached 2.11 billion USD, up 23.1%. The bilateral cooperation on agricultural products was facing great opportunities.

Mr. Truong Viet Duang briefed the audience on local enterprises' trade and investment in China and said that HPA would actively lead delegations to attend exhibitions in China to strengthen communications and cooperation between enterprises of both sides. Mr. Yan Yaoxin said that the Office would implement China's policies and development strategies on foreign economic and trade cooperation, provide information, service, coordination and protection to those in need, and push forward Viet Nam-China economic and trade cooperation in a sound manner, based on equality and mutually benefit principles. Mr. Gu Chaoqing complimented the Meeting for setting up a platform for agricultural enterprises to enhance cooperation and laying out a foundation for mutual cooperation between enterprises of both sides. He hoped both sides could create more opportunities under the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding of Cooperation on Viet Nam-China Agricultural Trade. Mr. Le Bo Lich believed that after Viet Nam's entry into the TPP, the local agricultural industry had been facing severe challenges. Viet Nam needed to strengthen regional cooperation and improve competitiveness. Representatives of Chinese entrepreneurs showed their strong points and expressed their willingness to increase communications and mutually benefit cooperation with their Vietnamese counterparts. Enterprises of both sides exchanged specific information of products and programmes on purchasing, trade and investment.

Secretary-General Yang had interactive exchanges with the entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurs thanked ACC and CFNA for holding this Meeting and setting up such an efficient platform.

On the same day, Secretary-General Yang paid an official visit to H.E. Mr. Hong Xiaoyong, Chinese Ambassador to Viet Nam, and exchanged views on ASEAN-China cooperation.