Quang Ninh (VNA) - Despite serious impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic,border trade activities in Mong Cai city of northern Quang Ninh province, which bordersChina, have been well maintained with a surge in the volume of import and exportgoods compared to the figure in 2020.

According to the Mong Cai International Border GateManagement Board, as of July 18, the total volume of commodities imported andexported through the border gate had reached more than 1 million tonnes, up89.2 percent over the same period last year. The collected fees weretotalled at more than 34 billion VND (1.47 million USD), up 58 percentyear-on-year and equal to 62.7 percent of the yearly target.

Specifically, the number of vehicles crossing Bac Luanbridge border gate reached 28,358, including 12,806 vehicles from the Vietnameseside and 15,552 from the Chinese side, and more than 470,000 tonnes of importand export goods were transported through the border gate, a year-on-yearincrease of 12 .38 percent. Meanwhile, 24,817 vehicles carrying 608,334 tonnesof goods went through Hai Yen temporary pontoon bridge, an increase of 335percent in the volume of goods over the same period of 2020.

Since the beginning of the year, authorities at the Mong Cai internationalborder gate have carried out procedures for nearly 6,500 people entering and leavingVietnam, of whom 1,876 were put under quarantine.

In order to create favourable conditions for the import andexport of goods, Mong Cai city has organized quick tests for SARS-CoV-2 virus atthe border gate for drivers and assistants of trucks carrying out imports andexports.

According to statistics, the city has taken samples to COVID-19testing for 6,770 officers, soldiers and civil servants at border gates andbusinesses, transit drivers, vessel crew members, and long-distance drivers atthe border gates.

Recently, Mong Cai has also completed COVID-19 vaccination forall residents in border areas, and workers in industrial zones to create a safeenvironment for economic development, especially border economic development.

Over the past years, the northern province of Quang Ninh hasbeen working to gradually establish itself as a “gateway” for cross-bordertrade between Vietnam and China, thus contributing to bilateral economic ties.

Quang Ninh, which shares more than 118km of land border and191km of sea border with China, is located at the start of the countries’ “TwoCorridors, One Belt” economic cooperation zone, in the Nanning - SingaporeEconomic Corridor, and the expanded Gulf of Tonkin inter-regional cooperationarea under the ASEAN - China Free Trade Area.

In 2020, the value of goods traded through Quang Ninh’sborder gates approximated 2.79 billion USD, including over 1.11 billion USD inexports, 980 million USD in imports, and 695 million USD worth of itemstemporarily imported for re-export or stored in bonded warehouses.

Of the total figure, Mong Cai city postedover 1.09 billion USD in exports, nearly 1.04 billion USD in imports, and 694million USD of goods temporarily imported for re-export or stored in bondedwarehouses. Hai Ha district recorded 3.5 million USD in exports and 4.5 millionUSD in imports, and Binh Lieu district had 16.6 million USD in exports and 65.9million USD in imports.

On July 16, 2021, authorities of Quang Ninh and the GuangxiZhuang Autonomous Region of China officially launched customs clearance throughBac Luan No 2 Bridge, which links Mong Cai International Border Gate of Vietnamwith Dongxing Border Gate of China.

The two sides have also coordinated to completeinfrastructure for Hoanh Mo - Dong Zhong border gate area so that this bordergate pair will officially make debut in the near future./.