Hanoi (VNA) ൲– The Vietnam Fruit Festival has been held in Beijing, China, for the first time, aiming to promote Vietnamese agricultural exports to the Chinese market.

The two-day festival, which opened on September 29, gathered numerous Vietnamese agricultural exporters alongside Chinese importers and distributors. Themed "Vietnamese Fruits - Four Seasons of Deliciousness", it is co-organised by the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade, and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The festival is a follow-up initiative to the visit of General Secretary and President To Lam to China in August and coincides with the 13th session of the Vietnam-China Economic and Trade Cooperation Committee. It took place at the Xinfadi agricultural wholesale market, the largest of its kind for fruit in the capital, which serves not only Beijing's population of over 22 million but also nearby regions such as Hubei and Tianjin.

On schedule as part of the two-day festival are direct trade exchanges between Vietnamese businesses and Chinese fruit importers and distributors, a product experience programme, and a seminar on the potential for Vietnamese fruit exports. In his remarks at the event, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien said, located in the tropical monsoon climate, Vietnam is considered a paradise for tropical plants with the diversity and delicacy of many types of fruits spread across the country. With an output of between 12 and 14 million tonnes a year, Vietnam's fruit products not only meet domestic consumption needs but also caters to exports, generating nearly 3.5 billion USD each year. In addition to fresh fruit, Vietnam also exports a variety of processed fruit products. He held that the two countries’ growing comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership has brought tangible benefits to both. Bilateral economic and trade cooperation has continued to expand, yielding positive and significant outcomes despite the global economic slowdown. Regarding fruit supply and fruit-based products, Vietnam is China's third-largest global partner, after Thailand and Chile, with many Vietnamese goods enjoying strong popularity among Chinese consumers. Dien underscored the significant untapped potential for the sides’ businesses to further capitalise on. This festival will serve as a premise and provide valuable experience for organising more frequent, specialised festivals in not only Beijing but also other parts of China, thereby fostering connections and expanding Vietnam’s fruit exports to this vast market, the minister said.

The official proposed that Chinese authorities continue collaborating to facilitate quarantine process, expedite customs clearance, address bilateral economic and trade policy issues, further open its market and expand the list of Vietnamese fruits and agricultural produce eligible for legal export. Vietnam, in turn, is ready to facilitate the import of Chinese fruit into its market in accordance with the law and help Chinese businesses invest and operate effectively and sustainably in Vietnam, Dien noted. Li Yan, Deputy Director of the Asian Affairs Department under Chinese Ministry of Commerce, said this is the first time Vietnam has organised a fruit promotion event in Beijing, expressing his hope that the festival will be a good opportunity for Vietnamese businesses to promote their products and explore the market. China is currently Vietnam's largest export market for fruit and vegetables, with bilateral trade reaching nearly 170 billion USD in the first eight months of 2024. Zhang Yuxi, the board chairman of the Xinfadi market, underscored the significance of the Vietnam fruit festival and noted that it reflects the growing cooperation and friendship between the two nations in the farming sector. He added that the event creates opportunities for networking and exchange between their agricultural enterprises./.