Lao Cai (VNA) – The 20th Vietnam-China border economic andtrade fair kicked off at the Kim Thanh Exhibitionand Convention Centre in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai and the Hekou International Exhibition Centre in China’sYunnan province on December 12.

The fair is organised by the Trade PromotionAgency under the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), the Lao Cai ProvincialPeople’s Committee, the China Council for the Promotion of InternationalTrade in Yunnan.|

The event aims to promotesocio-economic exchange between Lao Cai and Yunnan provinces, helping to foster tradelinkages, connect local markets of Vietnam with those in Yunnan, thus promotingimport and export activities through the Lao Cai border gate, solvingdifficulties facing businesses from bothsides in the context of complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Products of 80 enterprisesand cooperatives inside and outside Lao Cai are being introduced via digitalplatforms at 28 booths in the Kim Thanh Exhibition and Convention Centre.

In his openingremarks, Vice Chairman of the Lao Cai Provincial People’s Committee Hoang QuocKhanh emphasised that despite adverse impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, economic and tradecooperation between Lao Cai and Yunnan in 2020 has been maintained and developed stably.

Border management agencies of the two sides have effectively coordinated together in facilitating import and exportcustoms clearance activities, and supporting their businesses, Khanh said.

He expressed his hopethat the trade fair will help further promote investment, trade and tourismcooperation between the two localities in particular, and between localities ofthe two countries in general, contributing  to the enhancement of understanding and cooperationbetween the business communities and people of the two countries, as well aspromoting two-way trade between Vietnam and China.

A conference was arrangedright after the opening ceremony of the fair to introduce investment attraction mechanisms and policies andprojects calling for investment in Lao Cai and Yunnan.

At the conference, organisations andenterprises of the two sides signed 18 pairs of economic contracts totaling 758.9million USD on import and export of non-ferrous metals, fertilizers, chemicals,agricultural products, and aquatic products./.