Minister of Trade Truong Dinh Tuyen has many times urged increased exports to China in order to reduce the trade gap between the countries. Vietnam hopes to see the two-way trade turnover of $15bil by 2010, of which, Vietnam's exports will account for $6bil.

There are 14 categories of products in which Vietnam has advantages and it can boost exports of these products to China.

1. Coffee. China needs some $100mil worth of coffee every year, while Vietnam has been exporting just $13-14mil worth of the product every year.

2. Tea. China is a big tea exporter, and it also imports tea in large quantities. The country imports around $50mil worth of tea every year, while Vietnam just exports around $7mil of the product to the country.

3. Rubber. Chinese demand for rubber is increasing continuously, leading to continuous price increases. In 2006 alone, China imported $2.67bil worth of rubber. Meanwhile, the highest turnover from rubber exports to China has only been $776mil.

4. Electric wire and cable. As China is now focusing on making technical products, it will reduce the production of such items as electric wire and cable. In 2006, China needed $3.6bil worth of electric wire and cable, while Vietnam exported only $10.7mil worth of the products to the country.

5. Rice. Vietnam exported only 12mil tonnes of rice to China in 2006, mostly to border provinces, while China has been importing more high-quality rice from Thailand.

6. Footwear. Though a big footwear exporter, China still imports $554mil worth of footwear every year. Meanwhile, Vietnam’s footwear exports to China total around $37-38mil.

7. Cashew nuts. In 2006, China consumed $1.6bil worth of cashew nuts, while Vietnam exported $84mil worth of the product.

8. Pepper. In 2006, China consumed 1,350 tonnes, while Vietnam could provide only 292 tonnes to the market.

9. Wooden furniture. Last year, China imported $13.6bil, while Vietnam exported $82.2mil worth of the product.

10. Plastics. Vietnam’s exports of plastic products remains modest at $6.5mil, while the country needs $2.6bil worth of product every year.

11. Vegetable oil. In 2006, China imported $2.75bil worth, while Vietnam’s exports accounted for just 1/10, at $2.78mil.

12. Electronics products and accessories and 13. Home appliance accessories. These are considered potential export items to China. Many products made by foreign invested enterprises in Vietnam have been exported to China. In 2006, China imported $1.3bill worth of the products, including $7.5bil from Vietnam.

14. Starch and sliced cassava are also considered potential export items. The demand for sliced cassava is at 3.5mil tonnes a year, and the level has remained stable for several years.

(Source: TNKTVN)