sell to china

Crude oil: Crude oil can fetch higher prices in China as thetransport cost can be reduced. Demand for oil import from Vietnam is unlimited, which canreach as high as 10 million tons a year.

Natural rubber: China needed 1.5 million tons of rubber in2000, of which 0.6-0.7 million tons was met by domestic supply. Its rubber demandincreases 10-15% annually.

Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan are main suppliersof natural and synthetic rubber for China. Thailand supplies 580,000 tons annually, Taiwan400,000 tons, mainly synthetic rubber, Malaysia 150,000 tons and Vietnam 70,000 tons.According to Vietnamese customs, Vietnam exports 100,000 tons to China. Vietnam GeneralRubber Company says China is always Vietnam's prime rubber market, accounting for 50% ofproduction and 65% of export volume. However, low quality may be the reason for Vietnameserubber's humble market in China. Vietnamese rubber is produced mainly by the SVR, thestandard of the former Soviet Union, while Thai, Malaysian and Taiwanese rubber followsthe U.S. standard ISS.

Vietnamese rubber has higher prices than those produced inregional countries because it enjoys a 50% reduction of import tax and value-added tax fortrade via borders.

Vegetables and fruit: Vietnam exports a large quantity ofvegetables and fruit to China and the products are available in most major Chinese cities.

However, China can now grow most of the tropical fruit andvegetables that Vietnam enjoys monopoly such as longans, litchis, dragon fruit, bananasand water melons. Chinese scientists are able to hybridize off-season fruit. This may posea problem for Vietnamese fruit and vegetable export in the future.

Aqua products: These are favorite products in China wherequarantine and inspection are not so strict. It should be noted that although Chinesecustoms have announced a rapid increase-in aqua product export turnover, estimated atUS$2.3 billion in 2000, the import turnover is nearly unavailable. The import turnoverfrom Vietnam is put at zero.

Agro-products: China is a competitor with Vietnam inagro-product export. However, some Vietnamese agro-products can still find their ways toChina.

- Cashew nuts: China is Vietnam's main market for cashewnuts, but recently Indian cashew nuts have also been exported to this market.

- Rice: Vietnam can take the opportunity to sell rice tothe southern and southwestern regions of China because China has cut the farming acreageand suffered crop losses continuously. Vietnam should persuade China to substituteVietnamese rice in its rice purchasing contracts or rice aid projects. China currentlyimports 200,000 tons of fragrant rice from Thailand.

Recently, China has also bought Vietnamese sugar, coffeeand pepper.

Coal: China is a large coal exporter but it also importscoal from Vietnam because its coal mines are located mainly in the northeastern region;therefore coal transport to the south is costly and it is more economical to buyVietnamese coal.

Some Vietnamese industrial products such as picture tubes,detergent, perfume, confectionery and footwear are also accepted by Chinese consumers.China has high demand for wooden furniture, especially wooden antique imitations.