Beijing (VNA) – Senior officials of four border Vietnameseprovince and China’s Guangxi have met in the Chinese city of Guilin on theoccasion of the Lunar New Year to increase exchange and promote cooperationbetween the sides.

The February 23-24 meeting, the third of its kind, saw Vice Secretary of theParty Committee of Quang Ninh province Do Thi Hoang, Secretary of the PartyCommittee of Lang Son province Lam Thi Phuong, Secretary of the Party Committeeof Cao Bang province Lai Xuan Mon and Secretary of Party Committee of Ha Giangprovince Trieu Tai Vinh of Vietnam, and Secretary of the Party Committee of theGuangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Peng Qinghua.

Also on the occasion, the ninth session of joint working committee of the fourborder Vietnamese provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and abusiness forum of the localities took place.

At conferences and workshops within the framework of the New Year meeting, the Vietnameseand Chinese localities reviewed their cooperation since the second meeting lastFebruary in Ha Long city of Quang Ninh province, as well as the promotion ofexchanges between border Vietnamese provinces and Guangxi

They agreed to maintain the New Year meeting as an annual event, and exchangeof visits to increase political trust among the localities. They also agreedthat in 2018, the localities need to continue implementing common perceptionsof the two countries’ leaders, deepening friendship exchanges and substantialcooperation, promoting the border areas' development and enriching theVietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

The localities’ leaders consented to foster cooperation in trade, constructionof cross-border economic cooperation areas, upgrade of border gates and markets,cross border labour management, justice, agriculture, science, education,culture, health care, finance, toward lifting trade value between theVietnamese provinces and Guangxi, which accounts for nearly 25 percent of theVietnam-China trade turnover.

They reached consensus to submit the two countries’ governments a proposal on soonconnecting railways and highways between localities, especially between QuangNinh and Lang Son with Guangxi, to facilitate people’s travel and goods transportation.

The proposal also included cooperation between pairs of border gates, the pilotof one-stop border gate and extending time for goods clearance during peakperiods as well as encouraging Guangxi businesses to invest in Vietnam,especially those with high and environmentally friendly technologies.

They also agreed to increase cooperation via the Party channel, enrichpeople-to-people exchange activities and organise youth friendship exchangesand festivals of people in border areas, as well as cooperation in press,combat illegal cross-border activities and maintain security and stability inborder areas.

Some cooperation documents between Vietnamese and Chinese provinces were signedin the witness of the officials.

Participants agreed to hold the 2019 New Year meeting and the 10th session ofthe joint working committee in Lang Son city, Lang Son province. – VNA