On March 8, 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development organized an online forum “Promotion of trade in agricultural, aquatic and aquatic products between Vietnam and Guangxi Province – China through the national border gate. Mong Cai – Economy of Dong Hung”. The forum was attended by representatives of the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Ho Chi Minh City. Ho Chi Minh City and representatives of some of the city’s functional units. Dongxing at Chinese bridge point.

50% AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS EXPORT VIETNAM TO CHINA IS IN GUANGZI

According to the Department of Quality, Processing and Market Development (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), Vietnam-China import-export sales of agricultural products are a number of strong and traditional products that include Vietnam’s exports to China: timber and timber products, rubber , vegetables, cassava and products from cassava, cashew nuts. In contrast, Vietnam is also a heavy importer of vegetables, fertilizers and timber.

The Department of Quality, Processing and Market Development particularly emphasized the role of Quang Ninh Province with Guangxi in Vietnam-China trade relations of agroforestry and fishery products, saying that Guangxi is a key market for Vietnam-fishery exports account for nearly 50% of the total value of Vietnamese agricultural, forestry and fisheries exports to China.

This is an area with a large amount of imported goods, accounting for 47.5% of the total imports from China. In terms of exports via Quang Ninh to Guangxi, China still has a lot of room to maneuver and accounts for 15.4% of export sales to China.

Mr. Bui Van Khang, vice chairman of the Quang Ninh Provincial People’s Committee, said Quang Ninh is the leading point of the “Two Corridors, One Belt” cooperation area, a bridge linking transhipment, commodity exchange, science and technology, and investment between Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia . In recent years, Quang Ninh Province has increasingly confirmed its position and important role in connecting trade, import and export of goods between Vietnam and third countries with the Chinese market.

Ms. Tran Thi Bich Ngoc, head of Mong Cai International Border Gate Management Board, said that at present, customs clearance activities for agricultural products, aquatic products and agricultural and aquatic products are being deployed at all border gates and openings in the Mong Cai area, and the prospect of both in terms of types, products and commodities as well as the number of companies participating in import and export activities.

In the past period, the amount of Vietnam’s agricultural products, seafood, agricultural and aquatic products exported to the Chinese market through this customs clearance has reached an average growth rate of 60% per year. In the first two months of 2023, the volume of agricultural and aquatic products exported via Mong Cai reached 116,275 tons, up 22% from the same period in 2022.

In order to promote Vietnamese agricultural and aquatic products exports to the Chinese market, Ms. Ngoc said companies need to make more changes in their way of thinking, management, production and business planning. It is necessary to focus on using and making the most of digital and information technology to make the most of the superiority of e-commerce trading floors to enhance product promotion.

Mr. Hoang Ve, deputy director of China’s Trade Management Department and Dong Hung Border Gate, said Dong Hung City will implement the “Belt and Road” policy in the near future, becoming the starting point for the western coast of China.

“We will continue to promote the import of agricultural products, optimize the work at the border gate, and create a good business environment between Dong Hung and Mong Cai cities. At the same time, it will coordinate with the Vietnamese side to build the “Intellectual Frontier Gate”. Dong Hung will also build “Two Wisdom Cities” near the Quang Ninh border. In 2023, we will build quarantine facilities for animals, plants, aquatic animals and seafood at the border gate. We will also coordinate with the city. Mong Cai built a test lab at Km3+4,” informed Mr. Hoang Ve.

BOTH PARTIES NEED UNITY ON MANY QUESTIONS

Van Quang, vice chairman of Vietnam-China Business Association in Guangxi, of Dong Dang Industrial Investment Co., Ltd. said Dong Dang Industrial Investment Co., Ltd. in 2023 plans to buy 35,000 tons of durian, of which 15,000 tons will be bought from Vietnam.

“In addition, the company must purchase 120,000 tons of purple yams and sign contracts to purchase basa, cobia and other seafood. We look forward to connecting with partners attending the forum online or in person,” said Mr. To Van Quang.

About the trade of cassava products between Vietnam and China, Mr. Nghiem Minh Tien – Permanent Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Cassava Association, said that Vietnam exports more than 3 million tons of cassava starch products to the Chinese market every year. 60% of this is exported with quotas.

Given that the small quota export of cassava products will continue for many years, Mr. Tien suggested that Vietnam-China border trade policy should be stabilized. When there is a change, a reasonable adjustment period is needed for companies to prepare and avoid sudden changes that cause huge losses to the companies’ production and business.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam raised the issue that recently exports of many agricultural products have been directly registered with Chinese customs authorities without being registered by Vietnamese authorities. When Chinese customs asked the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to re-examine these records, the ministry did not know where the companies were located. This is a vulnerability that leads to slow progress of the application.

To solve this problem, Vice Minister Tran Thanh Nam recommended that Vietnamese companies that want to export highly processed agricultural products to China must send two documents at the same time to the relevant departments of the Ministry of Agriculture and Development and the authorities on your side. The authorities of the two countries also need to coordinate, create conditions and speed up the process of eliminating and solving problems related to business application procedures.

At the conclusion of the forum, Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam suggested that Quang Ninh Province should guide the city. Mong Cai coordinated with entities on the Guangxi (China) side to organize a trade promotion forum in Ho Chi Minh City. Dong Hung as soon as possible.

The vice minister suggested that industry associations wishing to export agricultural products through the Mong Cai border gate should collect issues and send them to the Department of Agricultural Product Quality, Processing and Marketing so that the ministry cooperate with other Guangxi provincial agencies coming time.

On the other hand, it is necessary to consider and propose the establishment of a Vietnam-Chinese agricultural product business club as soon as possible, which is a member of the 970 Agricultural Product Connection Forum of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in order to connect and inform the market for agricultural products.