Delegates at the talks between Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People’s Committee of northern Lạng Sơn Province Nguyễn Cảnh Toàn and Wei Tao, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (China). — VNA/VNS Photo Văn Đạt

LẠNG SƠN — Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People’s Committee of Lạng Sơn Province Nguyễn Cảnh Toàn held local talks with Wei Tao, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (China) on Thursday to tighten cross-border economic and security ties.

Toàn hailed the Lạng Sơn–Guangxi relationship as a standout success within the broader Việt Nam–China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership and the orientation toward building a Việt Nam–China Community with a shared future, citing robust people-to-people links across culture, sports, education, health care, border management and crime prevention, plus fresh momentum in digital transformation, smart border gates, logistics, artificial intelligence, and the digital economy.

Cross-border trade via border gates, dedicated routes, and customs checkpoints between Lạng Sơn and Guangxi remain stable and smooth, bolstered by upgraded and expanded specialised cargo routes and the ongoing pilot smart border gate project at the Hữu Nghị–Youyi Guan international border gate pair, while the restored Hà Nội–Nanning passenger train has opened new channels for people-to-people exchanges, tourism, and trade.

He proposed both sides thoroughly realise high-level common perceptions and agreements reached at the 2025 early spring meeting and the 16th Joint Working Committee’s meeting while gearing up for 2026 early spring meeting and the 17th meeting in Nanning. He pushed for rapid rollout of new cargo procedures at Hữu Nghị–Youyi Guan and Chi Ma–Ai Dian gates, plus formal launch of the Tân Thanh–Pò Chài freight route to maximise throughput to domestic and third-country markets.

The Vietnamese host asked Guangxi to extend operating hours and upgrade roads at the Cốc Nam – Nong Yao crossing to match rising trade volumes, and called for regular information exchange and close coordination in immigration management and the fight against cross-border crime to ensure a peaceful, friendly, and stable border that supports socio-economic development.

Toàn invited Guangxi’s capable, high-tech, green-tech firms to invest in Lạng Sơn’s renewable energy, agro-forestry processing, supporting industries, electronic components, logistics, and warehouse centres linked to border gate systems.

Lạng Sơn commits to all possible support for Guangxi investors and stands ready to share its experience in administrative reform and digital governance, he said, expecting to learn from Guangxi’s experience in smart urban development, traffic management, environment protection, and quality tourism.

To further deepen friendly cooperative ties, Wei called on Lạng Sơn to accelerate the construction of its smart border gates. Smart border gate components on the Guangxi side are on track for pilot operation by year-end and ready to connect with Lạng Sơn’s system. He urged Lạng Sơn to direct relevant agencies to coordinate swiftly so that the two systems can operate synchronously and efficiently. He also stressed the need to boost transport and infrastructure connectivity, especially the railway link between Việt Nam and China through the region.

The guest expressed strong interest in expanding cross-border tourism cooperation, pointing out that Việt Nam has become a top draw for Chinese travelers while Guangxi hosted roughly 150,000 Vietnamese visitors in the first 10 months of 2025, with ample untapped potential still ahead. — VNA/VNS