At the meeting between Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh and Chinese Minister of Transport Liu Wei — Photo courtesy of Ministry of Construction

BEIJING — Việt Nam and China have discussed measures to bolster transport collaboration, particularly in railway development, at a recent meeting between Minister of Construction Trần Hồng Minh and Chinese Minister of Transport Liu Wei as part of the former’s working trip to China.

At the event, Minh underscored the Vietnamese Party and Government’s political determination to bring into full play the common perceptions on cross-border railway connectivity and cooperation between the two countries.

From late 2023 to December 2024, the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport (now the Ministry of Construction - MoC), China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), and the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) signed six documents to advance the construction of railways. Additional documents have been planned, including a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the MoC and the NDRC on establishing a Việt Nam – China railway cooperation committee and several documents on plans for such railway routes as Đồng Đăng – Hà Nội, Móng Cái – Hạ Long – Hải Phòng, and Lào Cai – Hà Nội – Hải Phòng.

Việt Nam is striving to break ground on the Lào Cai – Hà Nội – Hải Phòng project by the end of this year, he said, adding the National Assembly approved 18 special mechanisms and policies to carry out the project.

Minh suggested the Chinese sides soon carry out important works for the railway construction, comprising the approval and presentation of diplomatic note regarding non-refundable aid for the project feasibility study, and introduction of capable Chinese firms to form partnerships with Vietnamese companies.

Beyond railway development, the ministers reviewed bilateral cooperation in cross-border road transport, with various meetings already held to address challenges like visa procedures for drivers, cargo transportation regulations, and customs supervision. Additionally, they proposed initiatives to facilitate transportation across China, Việt Nam and Cambodia.

The two sides are preparing to finalise procedures for signing three documents, namely an agreement and a protocol for transport infrastructure development at the Thanh Thủy (Hà Giang, Việt Nam) - Tianbao (Yunnan, China) border gate, and a MoU on cooperation between the two ministries, in April.

Liu praised the practical and effective transport cooperation between the two countries over the recent past. He committed to reporting the discussed proposals to the Chinese Government and working with relevant agencies to advance the projects.

The two ministers were unanimous to bolster cooperation in the time head in the spirit of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and promote the building of the Việt Nam – China community with a shared future. — VNS