Some 120 Vietnamese enterprises will put their products on display in China’s Guangxi province this October as part of the efforts to boost Vietnam’s exports to this large market, said the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Vietnam’s exports to China shrank by 2 percent to more than 1.6 billion USD in the first five months of this year.

A wide variety of Vietnamese products will be displayed at 143 stalls during the 6 th China-ASEAN Exposition 2009 from Oct. 20-24, including ago-iforestry products, furniture, handicrafts, medical equipment and pharmaceuticals, consumers’ goods and processed food.

Tourism and trade services will also be introduced at the exposition, said the ministry, adding that the chance is expected to help promote Vietnam’s most popular brands as well as to give its entrepreneurs greater access to distribution channels, prospective investors and partners in China.

China now ranks the first among exporters to Vietnam and is the third largest importer of Vietnamese goods, purchasing 4.6 billion USD worth of goods from the country in 2008, a year-on-year increase of 44 percent.

There is a room for Vietnam to boost its exports of seafood, vegetable, cashew nuts, rice and electric cable to the Chinese market.

The exposition is also expected to give Vietnamese exporters an opportunity to greater access to other Southeast Asian markets, to which Vietnam’s exports have experienced a steep slide of 11 percent in the same period as a result of the global financial crisis.

Vietnam is now targeting Southeast Asian markets, to which the country will enjoy special tariff benefits, with major export products like crude oil, rice, seafood, electronic and computer parts./.