Hanoi (VNA) - A delegation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, led by Minister Do Duc Duy, is holding working sessions with the General Administration of Customs of China from May 27–29 to discuss and coordinate efforts to solve difficulties in Vietnam’s export of agricultural and aquatic products, especially durian, to China.

These discussions also seek to prepare joint solutions to ensure smooth import-export activities for the upcoming lychee season.

Duy held talks with Sun Meijun, Minister of the General Administration of Customs of China, during which they reached a high consensus on several solutions to strengthen cooperation in trade and market access for agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products between the two countries.

They agreed to promote trade and open markets for Vietnamese agricultural, forestry, and aquatic exports to China, with focus on speeding up negotiations, and completing procedures to soon sign protocols on the export of these products.

Additionally, both sides will study and consider the possibility of establishing an annual ministerial-level meeting mechanism on a rotating basis between Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the General Administration of Customs of China. This aims to strengthen cooperation and promptly address difficulties and obstacles arising in the trade of agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products.

The two officials agreed to establish a "green lane" mechanism for agricultural products, extend working hours and prioritise fast customs clearance at border gates for fresh fruits during peak harvest seasons. China will soon send a working group to conduct on-site inspections of Vietnamese grapefruit and lemon to draft an export protocol.

The Vietnamese delegation also visited the Beijing Xinfadi Agricultural Products Co., Ltd., one of the largest agricultural import and distribution hubs in China, to explore cooperation opportunities.

In addition, Minister Duy visited the China Supply and Marketing Group, which currently has total assets of nearly 200 billion CNY (27.7 billion USD), operates 11 subsidiaries, and employs 32,800 staff across several sectors including fertiliser and pesticide trading, food reserve and trade services, cotton business and services, agricultural product distribution, and wholesale agricultural markets.

The activities aim to create a solid foundation to guide businesses and localities in seeking cooperation and investment opportunities in the agricultural field.

According to statistics from the Department of Vietnam Customs, in 2024, the trade turnover of agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products between Vietnam and China reached 17.8 billion USD, up 14.6 year-on-year. Of the total, 13.5 bil෴lion USD came from Vietnam’s exports, up 14.3%, while imports were estimated at 4.3 billion USD, an increase of 21% compared to that in 2023. The export turnover for the first four months of 2025 was estimated at 5.07🅠 billion USD, up 3.7%./.