National Assembly Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân meets with Chinese province of Jiangsu's Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Zhou Naixiang on Tuesday. – VNA/VNS Photo Trọng Đức

JIANGSU – Businesses from Suzhou city in the Chinese province of Jiangsu want to step up co-operation with Việt Nam - a fast growing economy, Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Zhou Naixiang said at a meeting with Chairwoman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân on Tuesday.

Zhou said trade between Vietnamese localities and Suzhou reached US$8.5 billion in 2018, a year-on-year rise of 28.9 per cent. Bilateral trade in the first five months of 2019 was $3.4 billion, he said.
The Chinese city now has 50 investment projects in the fields of garment-textiles and plastic products in Việt Nam, Zhou said.

He expressed his belief that Chairwoman Ngân’s ongoing official visit to China would contribute to promoting the comprehensive strategic co-operative partnership between the two countries.

Chairwoman Ngân said she was impressed at the fact that Suzhou has been leading Jiangsu in terms of economic development for many consecutive years and was ranked seventh in China in terms of regional gross domestic product in 2018.

The NA Chairwoman also showed her delight at the positive, healthy and stable development in Việt Nam-China relations with regular high-level visits and meetings.

New strides had been seen in economic, trade and investment cooperation, while exchanges between Vietnamese and Chinese localities, including Jiangsu and Suzhou had been promoted, she said.

The top legislator added that Việt Nam attached great importance to developing the comprehensive strategic co-operative partnership with China in a stable and sustainable manner as well as increasing exchanges and cooperation between Vietnamese and Chinese localities.

Việt Nam would create the best conditions for foreign businesses to invest in the country, she said. — VNS