The Ministry of Industry and Trade said that Vietnam’s exports to China shrank by 2 percent to more than US$1.6 billion in the first five months of this year.
A wide variety of Vietnamese products, including ago-iforestry products, furniture, handicrafts, medical equipment and pharmaceuticals, consumers’ goods and processed food will be displayed in 143 stalls during the 6th China-ASEAN Exposition 2009 from October 20-24.
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 and give its entrepreneurs greater access to distribution channels, prospective investors and partners in China.
China is now the third largest importer of Vietnamese goods, purchasing US$4.6 billion worth of goods from the country in 2008, a year-on-year increase of 44 percent.
The exposition is also expected to give Vietnamese exporters an opportunity to gain access to other Southeast Asian markets, to which Vietnam’s exports have experienced sharp decline of 11 percent in the same period due to the impact of the global financial crisis.
Vietnam is eying 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.