China's Commerce Minister has weighed into a trade dispute impacting Australian farmers, saying Canberra has launched more than 100 trade investigations since the two countries established diplomatic relations.

Economic prospects for the developed world this year have darkened again in the past month as the coronavirus pandemic has rolled from Asia to the Americas, with a V-shaped sharp recovery expected by less than one-fifth of economists polled by Reuters.

Việt Nam’s lychee production hubs in the North have entered the early harvest season this year and are preparing plans for its flagship fruit consumption amid export difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Import and Export Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade has set up different working groups to implement the the EU-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

The world faces an acute shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) as the COVID-19 pandemic spreads. Shortages of medical masks, protective suits, goggles and gloves are putting the lives of frontline healthcare workers at risk. Panic buying, hoarding and misuse by the public are making the situation worse.

The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) will require Vietnamese businesses to overcome their own barriers in order to fully participate in the trade deal and enjoy its benefits, Nguyen Dinh Cung, former Director of the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM), has stated.

The country’s shrimp exports during April enjoyed an increase of 5.8% to US$244.2 million, boosting the total export turnover during the opening four months of the year by 2.9% on-year to US$872.8 million, whilst shrimp exports are expected to continue their growth into May, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers.

Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh has suggested agencies in Vietnam and Canada to devise a mechanism to exchange information and handle trade defence cases.

Despite the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, in the first four months of this year, wood exports still achieved US$3.2 billion, an increase of 6 percent over the same period last year.

As recession looms in South East Asia, artisan cakes and pastries are off the menu, and instant noodles and biscuits are in – with Australian grain exports into the region forecast to shift accordingly, an international grains market expert has told local industry.