Vietnam PM to attend China-ASEAN trade expo

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will attend the 20th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) held next week in Nanning city at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang.

The expo, held September 16-19 in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, aims to promote goods exchange between the China and ASEAN as economic ties deepen between the second-largest economy and the Southeast Asian bloc.

The two leaders expressed pleasure at the positive developments in bilateral ties and agreed on measures to strengthen their comprehensive strategic partnership in a more practical and substantive manner.

PM Chinh stressed that Vietnam always regarded its relationship with China as a strategic choice and a top priority.

He had paid an official visit to China and attended the 14th Annual Meeting of the New Champions (AMNC) of the World Economic Forum (WEF) held June 25-28 in Tianjin city.

In another high-level exchange, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong made a “very successful” visit to China last October at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Accompanied by a host of high-ranking official and Chinese ambassador Xiong Bo, Trong visited the Huu Nghi border gate in Lang Son province, where he noted that Vietnam always treasures and gives top priority to developing a sound relationship with China.

China is Vietnam’s No.1 trade partner, largest import market and second-biggest export destination; while Vietnam is China’s largest trade partner in the ASEAN bloc.

In the first seven months of this year, two-way trade between Vietnam and China reached $89.16 billion, down 11.1% year-on-year, according to Vietnam’s customs data.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to arrive in Vietnam on September 10 for a two-day state visit at Party General Secretary Trong’s invitation, marking the first time a U.S. president makes a top-level visit at the invitation of a Vietnamese party chief.