China to enhance economic, trade cooperation with Vietnam: commerce ministry

BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) — China will work to promote economic and trade cooperation with Vietnam, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on Thursday.
China will use the celebration of the 75th anniversary of China-Vietnam diplomatic ties next year as an opportunity, and support enterprises on both sides in expanding trade in agricultural products and manufactured goods by fully leveraging platforms such as the China International Import Expo and the Canton Fair, MOC spokesperson He Yadong told a press conference.
China will also foster new investment cooperation drivers in sectors such as the digital economy and green development, and deepen supply chain cooperation to ensure smooth trade flows between the two countries, according to the spokesperson.
He also stressed the importance of facilitating regional economic integration, saying that China will accelerate negotiations for Version 3.0 of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, and make greater contributions to regional development and prosperity.
Trade between China and Vietnam has seen rapid expansion in recent years. The annual trade volume between the two sides has exceeded 200 billion U.S. dollars for three consecutive years.
In the first seven months of 2024, China-Vietnam trade surged by 20.9 percent year on year to about 145.07 billion dollars, MOC data showed. ■