PM orders railway upgrade to pump up agriculture exports to China

He said in an order Tuesday that the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Industry and Trade need to collaborate with Chinese authorities to export more agriculture produce and seafood while minimizing costs and transportation time.

The two countries need to be on the same page in terms of technical specifications on its container railway between Vietnam’s Lao Cai Province with Chinese northern localities. The railway will help reduce border trade congestion, he added.

New roads that are designed for border cargo transport should be discussed between the ministries of the two countries in this quarter, he said.

Export channels should be diversified. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development can set up an agriculture logistics hub between the two countries and increase e-commerce trade, he added.

The Ministry of Finance was tasked with developing a smart customs system that enables origin tracing of products.

Vietnam exported $11.5 billion worth of agriculture produce to China last year, in which durian accounted for $2 billion.

Thirteen other produce that are exported included sweet potato, dragon fruit, longan and mango.