LẠNG SƠN — Four northern Vietnamese border provinces of Lạng Sơn, Quảng Ninh, Hà Giang and Cao Bằng and China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region will bolster friendship exchanges and practical cooperation, contributing to the Việt Nam-China comprehensive strategic partnership.

Under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) inked between the two sides at the 10th session of a joint working committee between the four Vietnamese localities and Zhuang Autonomous Region held in Lạng Sơn Province on March 22, they agreed to continue delegation exchanges, and enhance mutual political trust.

They encourage local authorities to set up mechanisms to remove bottlenecks during co-operation in the fields of trade, tourism, border management and border gate management.

Both sides reached a consensus to realise the MoU between the two Governments on promoting links between the “Two Corridors and One Economic Circle” framework and the “Belt and Road” initiative.

Regarding transport infrastructure, they will work to enhance road and railroad connectivity between Guangxi and Việt Nam.

In addition, they will urge competent ministries and sectors to discuss a project on building cross-border economic cooperation zones so that it will be submitted to the Governments for approval soon. Also, they agreed further co-operation to upgrade border gates and develop border markets.

Policies on border trade activities will be updated in a timely manner to facilitate import-export activities of enterprises from both countries.

Touching on tourism, Lạng Sơn and Guangxi provinces will study and promote pilot operation of the Tân Thanh-Po Chai tourism zone, and Quảng Ninh and Guangxi will work to form a complete border tourism route. Meanwhile, Cao Bằng and the Chinese locality will put forth the implementation of the agreement on protecting and exploiting Bản Giốc-Detian waterfall tourism resources.

Furthermore, border management agencies concurred to strictly carry out three legal documents on border management, ensuring stability and social safety in the border area, and boosting cooperation for border socio-economic development, and minutes of the Việt Nam-China Land Border Joint Committee’s sessions. Co-operation mechanisms between police and military forces of the two sides will be maintained to ensure security and order in the border areas. — VNS