On May 18th, in Jinan City, Shandong Province (China), the Vietnam-China (Shandong) Investment and Trade Cooperation Conference was held with the participation of approximately 200 delegates representing government agencies, industry associations, investors, and business communities from both countries. The program, organized by the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam) in collaboration with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade – Shandong province (CCPIT Shandong), aimed to strengthen business connections, promote investment, expand trade cooperation, and promote supply chain linkages between Vietnam and Shandong Province – one of China's largest industrial and foreign trade centers.
Speaking at the conference, Mr. Vu Ba Phu, Director General of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency, stated that under the strategic guidance of the high-level leaders of both countries, the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and China continues to develop strongly, substantively, and effectively.
In terms of trade, China has been Vietnam's largest trading partner for many consecutive years. By 2025, bilateral trade turnover is projected to reach US$256 billion, a 24.7% increase compared to the previous year – the highest growth rate ever recorded. Regarding investment, China currently has nearly 6,500 active investment projects in Vietnam, with a total registered capital of over US$35 billion, further solidifying its role as one of the largest investors in the Vietnamese market.
Caption: Mr. Vu Ba Phu, Director General of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency, speaking at the conferenceAccording to Mr. Vu Ba Phu, Shandong is a province with a developed industrial base, significant foreign trade capacity, and high complementarity with the Vietnamese economy. By 2025, trade turnover between Vietnam and Shandong province reached approximately US$14.5 billion, a 24% increase compared to 2024. Currently, Vietnam is Shandong's ninth largest trading partner globally and third in ASEAN. This provides an important foundation for both sides to further expand cooperation in the fields of processing and manufacturing industries, logistics, e-commerce, agricultural products and food, high technology, and supply chain infrastructure development.
In his welcoming remarks at the conference, Mr. Xia Zhong Quan, Vice Chairman of CCPIT Shandong, emphasized that the cooperative relationship between Shandong and Vietnam is developing positively in both breadth and depth. In 2025, the total import and export turnover between Shandong and Vietnam reached over 103.4 billion RMB, an increase of 24.6%. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, this figure reached over 26.4 billion RMB, an increase of 20.3% compared to the same period.
Caption: Mr. Xia Zhong Quan, Vice Chairman of CCPIT Shandong, speaking at the conference
Leaders of Shandong Province's CCPIT affirmed that Shandong Province is ready to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in areas of strength such as equipment manufacturing, new energy, logistics, cross-border e-commerce, agricultural products and food, industrial park construction, and international supply chain services.
Within the framework of the Conference, Mr. Nguyen Ba Hai, Deputy Director of the Trade and Investment Promotion Support Center, Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency, introduced the investment environment and business cooperation opportunities in Vietnam in the context of restructuring global value chains and supply chains. Accordingly, in 2025, Vietnam's economy achieved a growth rate of 8.02%, with total registered FDI reaching US$38.42 billion, further affirming Vietnam's attractiveness to international investment flows, especially in high-tech fields, supporting industries, clean energy, logistics, e-commerce, and digital transformation.
The conference also noted the strong interest of Shandong businesses in the Vietnamese market. Many businesses directly presented their cooperation needs, technological solutions, and investment strategies in Vietnam, including areas such as water treatment, urban infrastructure development, cold chain logistics, agricultural product distribution, e-commerce, and supporting industries.
Immediately after the plenary session, businesses from both sides participated in direct B2B business networking, exchanging cooperation needs, seeking partners, and promoting potential investment projects.
Caption: Businesses from both countries participated in direct B2B business networking at the conference
The conference is expected to create more strategic connections, opening up opportunities for substantive investment and trade cooperation between the Vietnamese and Shandong business communities, contributing to promoting the increasingly deep, balanced, and sustainable development of bilateral economic cooperation between Vietnam and China.
Following the success of the conference in Shandong, the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency will continue to organize many large-scale investment and trade promotion activities in China in the near future. It is expected that in September 2026, the Vietnamese Investment Promotion Delegation will participate in the China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) in Nanning, Guangxi, setting up a "Invest in Vietnam" booth, holding forums on investment cooperation and project networking, and engaging in direct trade matching sessions with Chinese and ASEAN investors.
Subsequently, in November 2026, the Vietnamese Trade and Investment Delegation will work in Guangdong – Shanghai, combining participation in the Canton Fair and the China International Import Expo (CIIE), thereby further promoting the investment environment and supporting Vietnamese localities, industrial parks, and businesses in expanding connections with international corporations, investors, and distribution systems. |