Quang Ninh (VNA) – The upcoming 2017Vietnam-China International Trade and Tourism Fair, to be held in Mong Caicity, is believed to be a golden opportunity for agricultural producers of thenorthern province of Quang Ninh.

The fair is scheduled to take place at thesquare of the communications-culture centre in Hoa Lac ward of Mong Cai cityfrom December 1 to 7. It will feature more than 400 booths, including some 300booths of organisations, businesses and individuals of Vietnam, Thailand andLaos and 120 others of Chinese firms.

It will showcase major products such as fruit,agro-forestry-fishery products, machinery, electronic devices, handicrafts, andwood products. 

Aside from introducing goods that Vietnam andQuang Ninh province have exported to China, the event is a platform topopularise local potential for trade, investment and tourism.

A new activity for this year’s event isdisplaying speciality fruit and agricultural and seafood products of bothVietnam and China. Many booths will also introduce commodities made under the“One village, one product” programme in Vietnam.

Along with an investment, trade and tourismpromotion conference, a forum will be held to promote the trade of fruit andagricultural products through Vietnam’s Mong Cai and China’s Dongxing bordergates, thus connecting Vietnamese and Chinese companies.

Other activities will include a street festivalin Tran Phu ward and a workshop promoting a free trade area in Vietnam-Chinaborder regions.

The 2017 Vietnam-China International Trade andTourism Fair, part of Vietnam’s national trade promotion programme, is the 12thof its kind held annually on a rotational basis between Mong Cai and Dongxingcities.

The fairs have helped expand export markets,connectivity and win-win cooperation, contributing to the two countries’ trade,investment and tourism ties.

[Quang Ninh to host Vietnam-China trade fair]

This year’s event follows the inauguration ofBac Luan 2 Bridge, the second bridge linking Mong Cai and Dongxing, onSeptember 13 and the installation of the last segment of a floating bridgeconnecting these cities in October. The floating bridge is part of theinfrastructure of Mong Cai – Dongxing border gates, which were designated asports of entry for trading fruit, agricultural products, seafood and woodproducts between the two countries.

Earlier, Mong Cai authorities held a tradepromotion conference including more than 100 businesses in Nanning city ofChina’s Quangxi province in September. A similar meeting with the same numberof firms took place in Ha Long city of Quang Ninh a month later.

Mong Cai city plans to hold two conferencespromoting fruit and agricultural and fishery products trade in the Mekong Deltaprovince of An Giang on October 30 and the central province of Binh Thuan inNovember.

Quang Ninh is a coastal province in thenortheast of Vietnam. It shares a 132.8km land border with Fangcheng districtand Dongxing city of China’s Guangxi province.

China is currently Vietnam’s top trade partnerwhile Vietnam is China’s biggest partner in ASEAN and the ninth biggest in theworld.

Vietnam’s statistics showed that bilateral tradereached 71.9 billion USD in 2016, up 7.9 percent over the previous year. Thecountry’s trade deficit with China fell 13.67 percent year on year.

By the end of August 2017, trade between the twocountries had hit 55.2 billion USD, up 23.59 percent from a year earlier, withVietnam running a deficit of 17.7 billion USD, down 5.76 percent.-VNA