Strengthening Vietnam Railway Cooperation

Deputy Minister Nguyen Danh Huy and Mr. Ngu Hao, Secretary General of the National Development and Reform Commission of China, agreed to continue exchanging and strengthening bilateral cooperation in the railway sector.

Welcoming Mr. Ngu Hao to work with the Ministry of Transport, Deputy Minister Nguyen Danh Huy expressed his belief that through the visit to Vietnam of Mr. Ngu Hao and his delegation, the Ministry of Transport and the Committee will establish the first steps in cooperation between the two agencies.

"It is known that the Commission's working delegation will come to Vietnam to work with ministries and branches on cooperation programs in the coming time. The delegation will also attend the 15th meeting of the Steering Committee for Bilateral Cooperation between the two countries, which will take place tomorrow (December 1, 2023).

At this meeting, the two sides will have specific discussions to affirm the very high political trust between the two governments, as well as seek solutions to promote practical cooperation, especially in the context of the current very good relationship between the two Parties, two countries, and two governments," said the Deputy Minister.

According to Deputy Minister Nguyen Danh Huy, cooperation between the two countries in the field of transportation is quite comprehensive in all areas. Many transport cooperation agreements in the fields of aviation, road, railway, maritime, etc. have been signed to facilitate cooperation, contributing to promoting economic, trade and tourism exchanges between the two countries.

The Deputy Minister said that the Vietnamese Government is prioritizing the development of a synchronous infrastructure system, including transport infrastructure, considering this one of the three strategic breakthroughs for socio-economic development and ensuring national defense and security. Regarding expressways, Vietnam has completed 1,290km. In the coming time, railways will be an important area that receives special attention from Vietnam. Therefore, the senior leaders of the two countries have a very clear common perception and jointly issued a joint announcement on cooperation to promote the implementation of a number of railway routes in northern Vietnam connecting with China.

"With the high political determination of leaders at all levels and the activeness of relevant agencies and units, in the coming time, we believe that the two sides will have a major breakthrough in cooperation, especially in connecting railway infrastructure and railway transport," said Deputy Minister Nguyen Danh Huy.

Regarding the preparation of documents proposed for signing during the visit of high-ranking Chinese leaders to Vietnam, the Deputy Minister highly appreciated the sense of responsibility of the officers of the two agencies in developing the Draft Memorandum of Understanding on Strengthening Vietnam-China Railway Cooperation; at the same time, he requested the Committee to continue discussing to reach an agreement on the draft content.

The two sides agreed to strengthen railway cooperation in both connecting infrastructure and transportation (Photo: International transit train between Vietnam and China).

Thanking the Deputy Minister for taking the time to receive the delegation, Mr. Ngu Hao said that the National Development and Reform Commission of China is an interdisciplinary unit with the function of formulating economic development plans, including formulating macro policies, promoting institutional and regulatory reforms, and coordinating resources... China's railway reform was also proposed by the Commission.

Regarding the Memorandum of Understanding on Strengthening Vietnam-China Railway Cooperation, Mr. Ngu Hao also said that the two sides need to increase trust and jointly build a framework of principles for future cooperation according to the orientation of the two countries' leaders.

"The two sides have tried to fully express their ideas and agree on technical issues in accordance with the instructions and orientations of the two countries' leaders," said the Secretary General, suggesting that the two sides continue to frankly discuss to resolve remaining obstacles in the spirit of "being both comrades and brothers."

At the end of the working session, the two sides agreed on the important contents of the Draft Memorandum of Understanding. Based on the principles of the Memorandum of Understanding, the two sides will agree to select a symbolic project to sign together with the Memorandum of Understanding under the witness of the leaders of the two countries in the coming time.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/tang-cuong-hop-tac-duong-sat-viet-nam-trung-quoc-192231130213626379.htm