According to Mr. Wei Huaxiang, the Chinese Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, in the first 08 months of 2023, Vietnam’s durian exports to China reached 1.1 billion USD. After the two countries signed the official protocol on exports of fresh coconuts to China, the annual export turnover of fresh coconuts shall quickly exceed one billion USD.
At the program of exchanging and connecting Chinese business with Mekong Delta enterprises organized by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Can Tho Branch (VCCI Can Tho) in collaboration with the Chinese Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City on September 5, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Phuong – Vice Chairman of Can Tho City Business Association, Director of Vinatrans Branch in Can Tho city, said that: In the first months of 2023, despite the impact of the global economic downturn, Vietnam-China trade still reached an average of more than 10 billion USD/month.
In the first 08 months of 2023, Vietnam’s durian exports to China reached 1.1 billion USD.
“China is the second-largest export market and also an important export market for some agricultural products of Vietnam. Only in the first 05 months of the year, rice exports reached nearly 650,000 tons, worth more than 364 million USD, up 63% in volume and nearly 80% over the same period” Mr. Phuong said.
Regarding vegetables and fruits, Mr. Phuong said that cassava ranked first and seafood ranked third after the US and Japan, accounting for 15% of the total export turnover of Vietnam. Recently, the opening of official imports for durian has helped this item reach and exceed 500 million USD since May this year, accounting for 95% of the export turnover of this group of Vietnam.
Mr. Phuong said that the above figures are very impressive. “These figures show the efforts in connecting trade between the two countries in general and two business communities in particular. There is a great contribution of agricultural products from the Mekong Delta region ” Vice Chairman of Can Tho City Business Association said.
Also at the above exchange and connection program, Mr. Wei – the Chinese Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City said that China has a very large market with a population of 1.4 billion people and a large demand for high-quality agricultural products.
In the first 08 months of 2023, China continued to become Vietnam’s largest agricultural, forestry, and fishery export market, accounting for 21.9%, up by 9.8% over the same period last year.
Durian exports to China alone reached 1.1 billion USD, boosting Vietnam’s total fruit and vegetable exports in the first 08 months of the year by 68% compared to the same period last year. In terms of seafood, Vietnam’s export turnover to China in July reached 180 million USD, up 45% over the same period last year.
Durian is grown in the Mekong Delta region.
In addition, China and Vietnam are promoting the official export of many agricultural products to China. For example, in August this year, the General Administration of Customs of China conducted an online inspection of fresh coconut growing areas and packaging facilities in Vietnam. This will create favorable conditions for fresh coconut – one of the main agricultural products in the Mekong Delta region to be officially exported to China as soon as possible.
The Chinese Consul General Wei Huaxiang said that according to experts’ predictions, after the two countries officially signed the official protocol on fresh coconut exports to China, Vietnam’s annual export turnover of fresh coconuts to China will quickly exceed one billion USD.
Mr. Nguyen Phuong Lam – Director of VCCI Can Tho emphasized that the Mekong Delta is a key agricultural production area of Vietnam with main agricultural products such as rice, seafood, and fruits.
Vietnam and China are having a huge advantage for trade when the two countries have a land border. In 2021, China imported goods from Vietnam worth 48.9 billion USD, 57.7 billion USD in 2022, and 30 billion USD in the first 07 months of this.
In addition to high-value items such as phones and electronic components, seafood and vegetables alone account for over 10% of the total turnover, reaching 3.5 billion USD in 2022 and expected to reach over 4 billion USD in 2023./.