Vietnam will intensify rubber export to Europe, especially Eastern Europe, including Russia and the Republic of Czech in 2007. It is expected to export 750,000 tons of rubber at higher prices to the world market in the year, according to local newspaper Vietnam Agriculture on Monday.

Vietnam will export 60 percent of its total rubber amount for overseas sales to China this year, down from the proportion of 65 percent last year.

Vietnam, the world's fourth biggest natural rubber exporter, shipped abroad 697,000 tons of rubber, mainly to China, South Korea, Japan, Germany and the United States, totaling nearly 1.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2006, up 18.7 percent and 58.3 percent, respectively, against 2005, according to the country's General Statistics Office.

Source: Xinhua