Vietnam Business Forum’s reporter Son Thuy conducts an interview with Chinese Ambassador Qi Jianguo to Vietnam about strategies of Vietnam and China in developing economic relations of the two countries’ border gate provinces.
How does Vietnam-China border trade affect the Chinese policy of development of its Western region?
In January 2000, China started implementing the strategy of development of the Western region with a series of preferential treatment and financial support including environment protection, human resources development, science and education, foreign investment, and infrastructure, turning the advantages in natural resources into an economic comparative edge, building a sustainable economy and improving the welfare of the people in the Western region. With those efforts, the economic structure of the border provinces has been upgraded. The border gates, infrastructure and investment environment have been improved. The border regions of the two countries now have better conditions of communication and transport and complement each other in economic activities. I believe that, with joint efforts, economic and trade relations between the border provinces of the two countries will continue to develop.
Do the Chinese government and Yunnan authorities have any policy of encouraging trade and investment with Vietnamese border provinces, in this case Lao Cai?
To increase trade and investment in Vietnamese border provinces, the Chinese government has carried out various preferential treatments : 50 per cent reduction of imported taxes for border trade; tax exemption for each local bringing Yuan 3,000 worth of commodities to China a day; supporting Chinese enterprises to invest in Vietnam and Lao Cai, and at the same time simplifying formalities to facilitate investment projects. Thanks to those efforts, the trade and investment on both sides of the border have been developing most encouragingly.
How important is the participation of Chinese businesses in this trade fair, and what can the Chinese Embassy do?
Chinese businesses participate actively in this trade fair with 160 stands. They come mainly from Tianjin, Sichuan and others displaying not only consumer goods, food, electrical appliances, and farming instruments but also high technology equipment. The transaction products value is estimated at Yuan40 million and investment of Yuan300 million. The Chinese Embassy in Vietnam highly values Lao Cai trade fair, encourages and assists the participation of Chinese enterprises and wishes the border trade fair every success.
Vietnamese
