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| Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang at the Vietnam Pavilion at the Fair, August 16. (Source: VNA) |
In the overall relationship with China, Yunnan province holds an important position, being the gateway market connecting Southwest China with Vietnam and ASEAN countries.
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang's visit to Yunnan province took place shortly after Yunnan Provincial Party Secretary Wang Ning's visit to Vietnam and attendance at the third annual conference between the Provincial Party Secretaries of Ha Giang, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Dien Bien (Vietnam) and Yunnan Provincial Party Secretary (China) in late March 2023.
Realizing the Joint Statement
In meetings with senior leaders and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, Secretary of the Yunnan Provincial Party Committee Wang Ning affirmed that Yunnan attaches special importance to friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation with Vietnamese ministries, branches and localities, and wishes to work with the Vietnamese side to well implement the common perceptions of the senior leaders of the two Parties and two countries; and promote the development of relations in depth.
During the meeting with Mr. Vuong Ninh, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong suggested that Yunnan province and Vietnamese border localities take the lead in implementing the common perception between high-ranking leaders and concretizing the Joint Statement that has been reached.
Yunnan is China's gateway to South Asia and Southeast Asia. The province is promoting comprehensive opening up, developing foreign economic relations, economic and trade cooperation, and exchanges with countries in the region.
Meanwhile, the highlight of Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang's working trip to Yunnan was attending the opening ceremony of the 7th China-South Asia Expo and the 27th Kunming Import and Export Fair. These two important fairs aim to promote foreign relations for Yunnan province - an important gateway to the Southwest region of China, with a population of about 200 million people and an important geopolitical position in the Chinese Government's strategy, which is focused on investment.
Assessing that economic, trade, investment and tourism cooperation between Yunnan and Vietnam still has much potential and room for development, especially expanding the import of high-quality agricultural and aquatic products from Vietnam, cooperation in wood processing, etc. The Deputy Prime Minister suggested that the Chinese Government and the Yunnan provincial government continue to pay attention to and promote comprehensive cooperation and deep connectivity in economy, trade and tourism between Yunnan province and localities of Vietnam, so that Yunnan can contribute more to economic and trade cooperation between Vietnam and China in particular, and between China and countries in the region in general.
| Yunnan province has an area of 394,000 square kilometers, with a border with Vietnam of about 750 kilometers. With Vietnam, Yunnan province has three international border gates (one air border gate and two road border gates) and two national border gates. |
With the theme “Solidarity, Cooperation, and Development Together”, this year’s Fair attracted the participation of over 30 countries and territories and businesses from over 20 provinces and cities in China. The event is a practical action to support the business community of countries in the region to expand investment cooperation opportunities; enhance trade exchanges; promote production and business, overcome immediate difficulties and gradually recover after the pandemic.
This year, Vietnam continues to send a delegation of businesses, along with representatives from seven provinces and cities of Vietnam, including the capital Hanoi, to participate in a total of 130 standard booths, displaying products in advantageous and traditional fields such as food, beverages, footwear, seafood, wooden furniture, handicrafts, etc.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Fair, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang emphasized that located in the dynamically developing Southeast Asia region, Vietnam has outstanding competitive advantages, converging conditions to become an ideal destination for foreign investors, attracting new generation FDI and being a potential destination in the process of shifting and restructuring the global supply chain and production network. The Vietnamese Government attaches great importance to developing economic, trade, industrial and investment cooperation with China and countries in the South Asian region.
In particular, after General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's visit to China, the relationship between the two countries entered a new period of development. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's official visit to China in June once again affirmed the determination of the two countries' senior leaders to continue promoting and deepening the Vietnam-China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership.
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| Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang speaks at the opening ceremony of the 7th China-South Asia Expo and the 27th Kunming Import and Export Fair. (Source: VNA) |
Promote substantive and in-depth cooperation
Yunnan Province is an effective bridge for Vietnamese goods to penetrate deeply and reach far into the provinces and cities of southwestern China and is an important gateway to bring products and goods of Chinese enterprises through Vietnam to the potential ASEAN market.
Yunnan has an important strategic position, is a large market, and has potential for cooperation, especially in the fields of exporting agricultural and aquatic products from Vietnam. However, by 2022, trade turnover with Yunnan will only reach 3.2 billion USD, accounting for a very modest proportion of the total trade turnover between Vietnam and China (175.6 billion USD).
According to Kunming Customs, in the first six months of 2023, Yunnan-Vietnam import and export turnover reached nearly 1.1 billion USD, down 10.3% over the same period in 2022. Of which, Yunnan's exports to Vietnam were 638 million USD, down 35.5%; imports from Vietnam reached 441 million USD, up 107.6%.
Receiving Secretary of the Yunnan Provincial Party Committee Wang Ning during his visit, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang suggested that Yunnan effectively implement existing cooperation mechanisms and frameworks, striving to increase bilateral trade turnover to 5 billion USD in the next few years.
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang assessed that economic, trade, investment and tourism cooperation between Yunnan and Vietnam still has much potential and room for development. Vietnam wishes to continue to work with China and other countries in the region to strengthen comprehensive cooperation, promote trade and investment, etc.
Accordingly, it is necessary to continue to further promote the role of the China-South Asia Fair, enrich and diversify the forms of cooperation within the framework of the Fair to make this forum truly an effective cooperation channel between China and Yunnan province with countries in the region, contributing to expanding the import and export market of goods.
| China has been Vietnam's largest trading partner for the past 20 years and is also the sixth largest investor in Vietnam. Vietnam is also China's fourth largest trading partner and China's largest trading partner in ASEAN. |
Specifically, the Deputy Prime Minister proposed that the Chinese Government and the Yunnan provincial government continue to facilitate trade, accelerate the opening of markets for agricultural, aquatic and processed food products and improve customs clearance efficiency; suggested continuing to improve the operational efficiency of trade and investment representative agencies and business associations, in which the business community of the countries needs to proactively seek opportunities, maximize their capabilities, advantages, dynamism and creativity, and continue to develop cooperative relations between enterprises more strongly, effectively and substantially.
Along with the development of economic cooperation, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang hopes that the two sides will coordinate in managing and protecting the border according to three documents on land borders and related agreements, continuing to build a peaceful and stable border so that people of the two countries can settle down and make a living.
Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Wang Ning affirmed that Yunnan attaches importance to the friendly and cooperative relationship with Vietnam, is willing to increase delegation exchanges at all levels, economic and trade cooperation, and infrastructure connection, contributing to strengthening the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.
On August 16, within the framework of his visit to Yunnan, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang, Chairman of the Vietnam branch of the Vietnam-China Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation, met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Chairman of the China branch of the Vietnam-China Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation. Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed that China attaches importance to developing friendly neighborly relations with Vietnam; is ready to closely coordinate to prepare well for upcoming high-level visits and contacts; and agreed to continue to effectively promote cooperation mechanisms between the two countries, especially the Vietnam-China Bilateral Cooperation Steering Committee. He affirmed that China is ready to support Vietnam in achieving its economic development goals; he hopes that the two sides will strengthen cooperation in economic and trade fields, including transport infrastructure connectivity and local exchanges, and enhance coordination and cooperation in international and regional forums. |
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