He also said the city should reconsider business supportive policies in order to strike a balance between big enterprises and small and medium-sized businesses. “The highlight of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries last year was export growth being higher than import growth, which contributed to narrowing the trade gap to $20 billion,” Dr. Anh said. Moreover, according to Mr. Chau, the potential for business cooperation between Japanese and Vietnamese developers will be huge in the future. In the EU, the demand for wood and wood products is also on a stable upward trend thanks to economic recovery. Vietnamese Trade Counsellor in Singapore Tran Thu Quynh said the Ministry of Industry and Trade has recently worked with concerned bodies, particularly the provincial Departments of Industry and Trade, to promote Vietnamese products in international markets.