GUANGXI — Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has highlighted the role played by China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, which shares border with Việt Nam, in consolidating the friendship and developing the comprehensive strategic co-operative partnership between the two countries. 
Guangxi has actively cooperated with Vietnamese ministries, agencies and localities over the past years, the PM told Secretary of the Party Committee of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Peng Qinghua yesterday. 
The Vietnamese leader is in Guangxi to attend the 13th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (CABIS), as part of his official visit to China at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang from September 10-15. 
PM Phúc highlighted exchanges and co-operation between Guangxi and Vietnamese localities, saying that Peng Qinghua visited Việt Nam four times, and that trade between Việt Nam and Guangxi reached nearly US$25 billion in 2015. 
Up to 4,000 out of about 10,000 Vietnamese students in China are now studying in Guangxi, he added. 
Affirming the importance Việt Nam has attached to the friendship and mutual beneficial co-operation with China, the PM suggested the two sides carry forward existing co-operative mechanisms and work out effective solutions to facilitate their economic, trade, investment and tourism ties, especially the circulation of the two countries’ imports and exports. 
He called on the Chinese side to import more Vietnamese products in order to balance the bilateral trade. 
The two countries should accelerate the upgrade and building of pairs of border gates upon which they have agreed, and enhance their co-ordination in fighting crimes, ensuring security and addressing labour-related issues in the border area. 
Việt Nam will take note of Guangxi’s proposals of increasing transport connectivity and building border economic cooperation areas, the Vietnamese leader promised, hailing Guangxi’s efforts to expand win-win and pragmatic co-operation with Vietnamese localities and others in the country’s central and southern regions. 
Peng Qinghua affirmed that the Party, authorities and people of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region stick importance to consolidating the time-honoured friendship and enhancing mutual beneficial cooperation with Vietnamese ministries, agencies and localities, while regarding Việt Nam as one of the top priorities in the China-ASEAN co-operation. 
He told PM Phúc about Guangxi’s measures to expand exchange and step up collaboration with Vietnamese localities in economy, trade, culture, education and tourism, as well as its efforts to make it easier for cross-border goods exchanges and resolve labour-related issues in the border area. 
The official noted his wish to join hands with Việt Nam in the transport sector, especially the construction of the Lạng Sơn-Hà Nội-Hải Phòng-Hạ Long-Vân Đồn-Móng Cái expressway, the Đồng Đăng-Hà Nội express railway and border economic zones. — VNS