A Vietnam-China Comprehensive Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum took place in Hanoi on June 10 with the aim of creating opportunities for bilateral trade, boosting border cooperation, increasing connectivity, thus lifting the two countries’ economic ties to a new height.

Speaking at the forum, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Ho Thi Kim Thoa affirmed that Vietnam-China comprehensive cooperation in recent years have seen strong development, contributing to socio-economic development of the two countries, and their border provinces in particular.

She particularly noted the high growth rate of cross-border trade between Vietnam and China , notably adding to the two countries’ trade turnover. The rate averaged 23 percent a year in the 2006-2012 period, sending cross-border trade turnover up from 3.5 billion USD in 2006 to 8.6 billion USD in 2012.

Agro-forest-aquatic products and processed industrial goods are Vietnamese export staples to China ; meanwhile, Vietnam mainly imports machinery, transportation vehicles, electronic goods, food, and home appliances from China .

At the forum, Wang Nai Xue, Director of the Department of Commerce of Guangxi ( China ) proposed the establishment of an experimental free trade border complex in Guangxi, which can serve as a model for the friendly cooperation between the two countries’ border areas.

Trade turnover between Guangxi and Vietnam reached 9.73 billion USD in 2012, 12 times the figure of 2004. The figure is forecast to continue to rise in the coming years.-VNA