Page 34 - FDMAsia JanFeb 2025

32 FOCUS JAN/FEB 2025 FDM ASIA | www.fdmasia.com

IUCN and Trade's European-American market department advised
Vietnamese businesses exporting to the UK to thoroughly
research market information and their potential partners to
avoid fraud and scams.

Thanh said, to help Vietnamese businesses effectively
leverage free trade agreements, the European-American market
department would strengthen dissemination of information and
training to raise awareness among the business community of
sustainable development, green production and brand building.
The department would persuade trade partners to remove
no safety warnings from this market." barriers to market access, provide support and guidance to
The department underscored that globally, the UK ranks businesses for adapting quickly and effectively to changes
among the top five importers of wooden furniture. However, in market requirements and standards and intensify trade

Vietnamese furniture products have a very small share of promotion, particularly by leveraging distribution channels, to
that market, meaning considerable opportunities remain for take Vietnamese goods to sourcing groups worldwide.
Vietnamese exporters.
The UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive CHINA
Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in 2024 would pave the Prospects and market demand for rubberwood
way for even more opportunities, it said. The "2024 Rubberwood Global Industry Chain Innovation and
Despite these opportunities, the department and Hoai Development Matchmaking Conference" was held in Nanning,

caution about challenges when exporting to the market since Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the "2024 Annual
it has strict environmental and quality requirements. Meeting of the National Innovation Alliance of Rubberwood
To overcome them and seize opportunities arising due to and Products under the National Forestry and Grassland
the UKVFTA, the department said Vietnamese wood exporters Administration" was held at the same time.
should adopt appropriate strategies and understand the UK China is one of the world's largest rubberwood consumers,
market. but domestic rubberwood production cannot meet market
They should focus on quality and design and on improving demand so a large volume is imported.
production technologies to meet the stringent requirements there. Thailand is one of the main sources of China's rubberwood
According to Hoai, to further leverage the trade deal, imports and the value of trade in rubberwood and products

Vietnamese businesses need to focus on product design and between China and Thailand has stabilised at about USUS$2
developing their brands. billion over the past five years. China also imports some
Exports of wooden products with proprietary designs rubberwood from Indonesia and Malaysia.
account for less than 10 percent, he said. China's rubberwood imports have steadily increased in
The EU Deforestation Regulation is expected to be enforced recent years and it has become the largest single category
similarly in the UK. Businesses must prepare to meet traceability of imported sawn hardwood accounting for nearly 50 percent.
and accountability requirements to ensure their products do From January to September 2024 China imported 3.83

not cause deforestation or forest degradation, he said. million cubic metres of sawn rubberwood, an increase of 16
At a recent seminar, Vu Viet Thanh of the Ministry of Industry percent over the same period of 2023. Imports of rubberwood