Vietnam, China have room to grow trade ties: experts

Tra fish is one of Vietnam's major exports to China. (Illustrative photo: VNA)

Vietnam values and gives priority to strengthening economic and trade cooperation with China, and hopes to receive greater investment from China and the overseas Chinese community, said Nguyen Noi, Deputy Director of the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

“I’m pleased to see that many leading Chinese corporations are expanding their investments in the fields of electronics, renewable energy and IT, applying modern technology and bringing more value in line with Vietnam’s foreign investment orientation,” Noi told a conference on Vietnam-China trade and investment last week.

China continued to be Vietnam’s largest trading partner in 2018 with total export-import turnover reaching 106 billion USD, up 14 percent year on year. Vietnam has also surpassed Malaysia to become China’s biggest trading partner in the ASEAN region.

China is the seventh biggest investor in Vietnam with total registered capital of 15 billion USD. However, the flow of Chinese investment into the country has increased rapidly in recent years.

In the first four months of 2019, China registered 1.3 billion USD of investment in Vietnam, becoming the biggest foreign investor by newly registered capital.

Noi highlighted Vietnam’s new foreign investment policy which prioritises projects with high added value, advanced technology, modern management, minimal environmental impact and spillover effects that support the country’s sustainable development.

He called on Chinese companies to increase investment in Vietnam’s mechanics, electronics, new materials, pharmaceuticals, support industry, robotics, IT, infrastructure and clean energy.

According to Fu Long Cheng, Vice President of the Chinese Business Association, Vietnam-China co-operation through the “Belt and Road” and “Two corridors, one economic belt” initiatives has created favourable conditions for businesses of the two countries to grow their trade ties.

It is important for businesses to identify priority areas, increase connectivity and expand co-operation on a broader, more practical and multi-channel framework, Cheng said.

He also said China has organised many seminars on Vietnam-China trade and investment cooperation to introduce Vietnam’s high quality projects to Chinese enterprises.

Evaluating investment potential in Vietnam, Huang Rong, CEO of law firm Yingke Vietnam, said Vietnam is now an attractive investment destination for China's businesses. Many Chinese firms value Vietnam’s good infrastructure and quality labour force, as well as the reasonable cost of doing business in the country.

Yingke Vietnam has supported many Chinese enterprises in analysing financial factors, human resources and management before deciding to invest in Vietnam.

At the conference, enterprises of the two countries were provided with updated information on investment opportunities, with a focus on preferential treatment under free trade agreements of which Vietnam is a member.