Officials seek to bolster ties between Vietnamese, Chinese cooperatives, enterprises

Hanoi (VNA) – President of the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance (VCA) Nguyen Ngoc Bao had a working session with a delegation of Chongzuo city in China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in Hanoi on April 2.

Giving a brief introduction of Vietnam’s collective economy, Bao said the sector, with cooperatives being the core, has nearly 30,000 cooperatives, 123,000 cooperative groups, and 130 cooperative alliances gathering more than 11 million members and workers.

He noted Guangxi holds a significant role in economic and trade ties between Vietnam and China as it shares a borderline with four northern provinces of Vietnam, namely Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Lang Son, and Quang Ninh. It also serves as an important trading gateway on the Nanning - Lang Son - Hanoi - Hai Phong - Quang Ninh economic corridor that covers three cities of Guangxi (Nanning, Chongzuo, and Pingxiang).

Bao said the two sides should seek measures to boost investment and trade links, connect supply chains, and encourage the two sides’ cooperatives and enterprises to take part in fairs and exhibitions to advertise their products and brands and connect supply and demand.

For his part, Lan Xiao, Secretary of the Chongzuo Party Committee, asked the VCA to help seek Vietnamese authorities’ provision of support and optimal conditions for economic and trade partnerships between Guangxi cooperatives and enterprises with Vietnamese partners, including between the Guangxi Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives and the VCA.

He also proposed more phytosanitary protocols on Vietnamese fruits exported to China be issued so as to enhance the customs clearance capacity of border gates.

At the meeting, eight cooperatives and enterprises of Vietnam and China signed cooperation agreements./.