The Vietnamese Government is willing to work with the Chinese counterpart on measures to facilitate bilateral trade and investment. Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc was speaking at the Vietnam-China economic and trade cooperation forum in Beijing on September 17, as part of his official visit to China from September 15. He called on businesses to optimise a plenty of opportunities and potentials to promote the healthy collaboration in economics and tourism and deepen the Vietnam-China comprehensive cooperative strategic partnership. He suggested Chinese enterprises increase imports of Vietnamese agro-forestry-fisheries staples, particularly rice, while expanding investment in hi-tech and environmentally friendly projects. Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Wang Jiarui said in the new context, both countries should seize opportunities to boost win-win cooperation in an inclusive manner, especially in the economics, and expand affiliation between localities. The leaders witnessed the signing of a cooperation agreement between the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade. The same day, Secretary of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Peng Qinghua came to greet Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on the occasion of his attendance at the 12 th China-ASEAN Expo and the China-ASEAN Trade and Investment Summit in Guangxi province. Deputy PM Phuc assured the host that the Vietnamese Party and State pay heed to strengthening pragmatic and efficient cooperation between Vietnamese localities with Guangxi, proposing the two sides increase neighbourliness via all-level visit and people-to-people exchanges, especially among people in the shared border areas. He suggested improving the efficiency of bilateral existing cooperation mechanism and expanding affiliation across trade, investment, transport, agriculture, support industry, infrastructure connection, and tourism. He called on the two sides to weather difficulties and facilitate the import of Vietnamese farm product to China , including Guangxi. The pair should agree on measures to implement one-stop-shop and e-custom models, along with upgrading the bilateral border gates to international level, increasing cross-border management, and implementing effectively documents on Vietnam-China land borders, helping build shared border lines of peace, friendship, stability and development. The Chinese official welcomed the Deputy PM’s participation in the events, regarding this as warm support of the Vietnamese Party, Government and people to China’s organisation of regional cooperation conferences and as a contribution to cement the friendship, neighbourliness, and all-around cooperation between the two countries. He also expressed his delight at the thriving relations between Guangxi and Vietnamese localities, affirming that local authorities will spare no effort to promote the friendly and comprehensive collaboration between the two nations’ localities. A ceremony was held on the day to seal an agreement to establish the friendship between the southern metropolis of Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh City and the Zhuang Autonomous Region of China, in the witness of Deputy PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc.-VNA