On 16th December 2022, the Support of Regional Economic Cooperation in Asia (SRECA) project jointly with the Asia Africa Market Department (DoAAM) of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Vietnam (MoIT) and the Department of Industry and Trade of Tien Giang province organised a hybrid capacity building conference on the export of durian and fresh fruits from Vietnam to China. This conference was designed to promote the export of agricultural products, especially durian fruits from Mekong delta region to the Chinese market; this event aimed also to support the connection between Vietnamese and Chinese businesses in terms of their supply and demand relationships for fruit products.  85 delegates joined the event offline, including representatives of government management agencies of the Mekong Delta provinces (Ben Tre, Long An, Vinh Long, Hau Giang) and Vietnamese enterprises working in the field of business, production, export, packaging of fruit products. Additionally, 25 Chinese enterprises working in the field of importing and distributing agricultural products, especially fruit products, joined the event online.

At the Conference, experts from Vietnam and China presented updated information on the potential to promote agricultural and especially fruit exports from Vietnam to the Chinese market, as well as experiences in organising exports, promoting trade in the Chinese market, and providing information on fruit business and distribution centers in China. After experts’ sharing sessions and the plenary discussion session, Vietnamese and Chinese businesses also took part in an online matchmaking session in the virtual meeting rooms. The matchmaking session took place in an open atmosphere, businesses of the two sides introduced the size, import and export needs of their businesses as well as related packaging, transportation requirements and payment modalities. Some businesses have exchanged contact details to continue communicating regarding further commercial cooperation opportunities in the future.

According to the feedbacks shared by delegates at the conference, the businesses highly appreciated the meaning and effectiveness of the conference. They expressed the hope that there can be more similar activities organised in the future.