Vietnamese PM asks for stronger infrastructure connectivity with China’s Guangxi

PM Pham Minh Chinh (right) welcomes Liu Ning, Secretary of the CPC Committee of China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, in Hanoi on August 28. (Photo: VNA)

Liu, who is also Chairman of the Standing Committee of the regional People’s Congress, noted the Party organisation, administration, and people of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region are determined to properly carry out the joint statement and common perceptions recently reached between the top leaders of the two Parties and countries while continuing to strongly promote the friendship and win-win cooperation with Vietnamese localities, thus practically contributing to general ties between the two Parties and countries.

At the meeting, both host and guest applauded the important strides in bilateral relations, including the extensive and effective cooperation between Vietnam and Guangxi, as seen in all-level mutual visits, the partnerships in economy, trade and investment, transport infrastructure connectivity, land border management, the opening and upgrade of border gates, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.

Voicing his hope for bilateral cooperation to better match their potential and relationship, PM Chinh asked the two sides to keep fruitfully implementing the high-level common perceptions; step up exchanges and meetings between their all-level authorities, sectors, and people’s organisations to help each other develop; and protect and uphold the values of the two countries’ revolutionary relic sites, especially the ones linked with President Ho Chi Minh in Guangxi, to deepen mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

He called for joint efforts to make new breakthroughs in cooperation fields.

The two sides should reinforce “hard connectivity” in terms of expressways and high-speed railway, particularly the Lang Son - Hanoi and Mong Cai - Ha Long - Hai Phong routes linking with Guangxi, while boosting the upgrade of “soft connectivity” in terms of smart customs and smart border gates, he said.

The Government leader suggested Guangxi continue creating favourable conditions for Vietnamese goods to enter this region to go more deeply into the Chinese market and to a third country, and encourage its capable businesses to increase investment in Vietnam, especially in the fields of green agriculture, clean energy, and sustainable development.

Both sides also need to actively study a cross-border economic cooperation zone model, work together to properly manage the land border, and coordinate to hold celebrations of 25 years since the signing of the land border treaty and 15 years since the signing of the three legal documents on land border between the two countries.

At the meeting, Liu highlighted the determination to bolster bilateral ties, expand and intensify friendship exchanges with Vietnamese localities, boost connectivity in terms of road, railway and sea transport on par with the scale of the two countries’ economic and trade links, and tap into the two sides’ special advantages so that via Guangxi, Vietnam can further connect with Chinese localities and third countries, and via Vietnam, Guangxi can connect with other ASEAN countries.

He suggested the two sides further scale up and improve the quality of trade and investment partnerships, improve the customs clearance efficiency by applying the “smart border gate” model, and carry out cooperation in seaport, electricity trading, digital economy, and digital connection.

The visiting official also proposed stronger collaboration in border management, crime fight, cross-border disease transmission prevention, tourism, people-to-people exchange, and education - training, thereby contributing to the China - Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to benefit both sides’ localities and people.

Also on August 28, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son held talks with the Secretary of the CPC Committee of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, who is on a visit to Vietnam from August 26 to 30.