Vietnamese enterprises need to take advantage of tariff reductions under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) to increase exports to Australia.
Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, Director of the WTO Integration Centre under the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), made the statement at a conference on “Australia’s market potential from the CPTPP perspectives” in Hanoi on April 12.
According to the centre, Australia is one of the 20 largest economies in the world, with outstanding potential in science and technology, mineral exploitation, high-quality services and agricultural products.
Australia is also a market with high purchasing power and stability. Vietnam and Australia are both members of CPTPP, which will help promote trade and expand the scale of investment and cooperation between the two sides in the future.
Although each side had its own potential, strengths and a variety of commodities, the value of Vietnam's exports to Australia was still modest, she said, adding that the main products shipped from Vietnam to Australia were footwear and cashew nuts. Vietnam could also strengthen cooperation with Australia by increasing imports, including technologies that Australia has advantages in as well as consultation services.
When exporting to Australia, Vietnamese enterprises needed to understand the market trend, consumer tastes and regulations on food safety and origins to meet the requirements of importers, said Phung Thi Lan Phuong, head of the FTA Division of the WTO and Integration Centre of the VCCI.
It is worth noting that Australian is one of the most fastidious importers in the world, Phuong said. The room for exporting Vietnamese products is still vast but not for all types of products. Consumer numbers are also smaller than other traditional export markets, she noted.
In order to stand firm in the Australian market, Vietnamese enterprises must regard quality as the top priority rather than focusing on quantity and price, Loan said.
VNA