China, Vietnam agree to smooth border restrictions after coronavirus disrupts trade

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh say the nations will work together to strengthen trade

Vietnamese exports to China, especially fresh fruit, have taken a hit in recent months due to congestion and border closures

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Containers are loaded onto a China-Vietnam freight train at Nanning International Railway Port in China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 7:15pm, 14 Jan 2022

China has pledged to clear the way for Vietnam’s agricultural exports and deepen trade ties between the two countries following implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) earlier this month.

The world’s No 2 economy will strengthen communication and collaboration with its neighbour, including in pandemic control, while managing conflicts in a fair manner, Premier Li Keqiang said in a call with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Thursday.

“China will provide more convenience in clearing the customs process for quality agricultural products from Vietnam,” Li said, according to details published by the state-backed Xinhua News Agency.

In response, Pham vowed that Vietnam would speed up the trade clearance process on its borders and handle disagreements with care.

Vietnamese exports to China, especially fresh fruit, have taken a hit in recent months due to congestion and border closures, after traces of coronavirus were found on its dragon fruit exports in several Chinese provinces, leading to quarantines and a suspension of imports.

Before it was reopened this week, the checkpoint at Dongxing, bordering Vietnam’s Mong Cai, had been closed for three weeks due to Covid-19 controls, which left thousands of trucks stranded and sent fruit prices plummeting in the Southeast Asian nation.

Border clearance at the Friendship Pass in China’s Pingxiang and the Longbang and Pingmeng checkpoints in Baise, also resumed earlier this month after closures, according to the Vietnam News Agency.