Chinese businesses could supply building materials to Vietnam, said the deputy chairman of the Shanghai Construction Association, Qian Jing Wei.

Qian Jing Wei and representatives from 20 leading Chinese businesses are currently on a fact finding tour of Vietnam from December 7-10 to examine the potentials for cooperation in manufacturing and trading building materials.

At a conference on December 9 in Hanoi, Qian Jing Wei said that over the past five years, Vietnam has maintained a high growth rate, paving the way for more economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

Pham Khanh Toan, head of the Construction Ministry’s International Cooperation Department said that with the rapid spread of urbanisation in Vietnam, the demand for building materials and interior products is rising. He added that besides these products, Vietnam also imports spare parts and other equipment for producing construction materials.

Currently, China is the largest supplier of these products to Vietnam. In 2009, Vietnam imported over 150 million USD of products from this market, accounting for over 40 percent of its total imports of building materials./.