This message was mentioned many times in Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's activities in China during his recent working trip to attend the 8th Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit, the 10th Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy Summit (ACMECS 10), and the 11th Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Vietnam Cooperation Summit (CLMV 11).
“Respecting time, valuing intelligence, innovating to break through, being creative to reach far, integrating to move forward, uniting for more strength” is what the head of the Vietnamese Government mentioned throughout his speeches at multilateral conferences, which was highly appreciated by leaders of other countries. The Chinese side highly appreciated the Prime Minister’s proposal on the new generation economic corridor and considered it an innovation.
Promoting 3 railway lines connecting Vietnam - China
In addition to participating in multilateral forums and bilateral meetings with Chinese leaders and some of its localities, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has paid much attention to promoting cooperation between the business communities of the two countries.
He suggested that businesses of the two countries promote investment and business cooperation, promote the role of connecting the two economies, both hard and soft, contributing to concretizing agreements, commitments and common perceptions of the top leaders of the two Parties and two countries.
In particular, the head of the Government spent a lot of time discussing with Chinese leaders and partners about promoting railway connections, especially cooperation in implementing 3 standard gauge railway lines connecting the two countries (Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong, Lang Son - Hanoi, Mong Cai - Ha Long - Hai Phong), striving to start construction of the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong line in 2025.
The two sides are determined to deploy three new railway lines, considering this the highest priority in strategic infrastructure cooperation between the two sides. The Chairman of China Railway Construction Corporation said that he is very interested and ready to participate in the deployment of the Kunming – Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong railway line, and is also studying the possibility of participating in Vietnam’s North – South high-speed railway project…
Sharing with Dan Tri reporters during the trip accompanying Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietnam Railway Corporation Dang Sy Manh said that the Corporation has signed a framework agreement with China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) to research and promote the next step in training human resources and organizing a consortium of contractors to participate in upgrading existing railways.
In addition, units of the two countries will also consider cooperation and participation in the construction of the North-South high-speed railway, urban railways in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and new railway lines connecting Northern Vietnam with China such as: Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong; Hanoi - Lang Son; Hai Phong - Quang Ninh - Mong Cai - Phong Thanh - Dong Hung.
After this agreement is signed, according to Mr. Manh, both sides will send a working group to conduct research together, and CRCC experts will support Vietnam in technology transfer, human resource training, etc.
Appreciating the working trips to promote cooperation by senior Vietnamese leaders, especially Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's strong leadership, Mr. Manh said that these things have helped open up more development space, creating good opportunities to increase trust and promote very specific and detailed work.
“The Prime Minister always requires specific products when giving instructions. And through meetings with leaders of the Vietnamese Government, businesses and investors from both sides have also identified specific tasks,” Mr. Manh said that the Prime Minister’s close instructions have helped make cooperation between units of the two countries much more favorable.
Reduce costs, increase competitiveness and open markets
Before ending his four-day working trip in China and returning to Vietnam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited the Chongqing International Logistics Center and took the ASEAN express train departing from Hanoi to here.
Chongqing is the transit point for 70% of Vietnamese goods transiting to Europe and is also one of the important destinations for Vietnamese goods exported to the billion-people Chinese market via railway.
A representative of Vietnam Railways Corporation, the unit that transported the intermodal train carrying export goods to China and third countries, said that this train included goods from ASEAN countries transiting through Vietnam and Vietnamese goods transported 6 days ago, including motorcycle components, electronics, and toys exported to Europe by FDI enterprises in Vietnam.
These containers will be connected to the Asia-Europe train departing from Chongqing and ending at several cities in Europe. Rail transport shortens the time it takes to transport goods compared to sea transport and has much lower freight rates than air transport.
Appreciating the strategic location and role of Chongqing Logistics Center in connecting trade, the Prime Minister hoped that China would strengthen connections with Vietnam by road, waterway, and railway, especially the international railway route from Vietnam through Chongqing (China) to Central Asia and Europe, to exploit a market with great potential but facing difficulties in transportation.
With the motto of valuing time, intelligence and connection, the Prime Minister proposed to reopen the "Silk Road" in the new era, creating the future, cooperating for mutual benefit, and opening a new trade corridor, not only between Vietnam and China but also ASEAN, Central Asia and Europe.
In addition, the Prime Minister also suggested that China closely coordinate with Vietnamese partners, develop logistics, promote trade and related industries so that Vietnamese goods can have more access to the Chinese market, thereby exporting Vietnamese goods to third countries, especially the Middle East and Europe.
As one of the Vietnamese business representatives participating in the delegation throughout the journey from Kunming to Chongqing, Ms. Le Hoang Diep Thao, CEO of King Coffee, said that this is a very important opportunity to promote investment, helping cooperation work achieve specific results.
Referring to General Secretary To Lam's policy on the goal of reaching out to enter a new era, Ms. Thao said that large Vietnamese enterprises are also reaching out in international cooperation, and the promoting role of senior leaders in recent foreign trips has created many advantages for businesses.
Noting that Vietnamese coffee products have entered many major Chinese markets, Ms. Thao suggested that the authorities of the two countries continue to consider simplifying customs procedures and speeding up the progress of the Hanoi - Lao Cai - Hai Phong railway to facilitate trade, help reduce costs and improve the competitiveness of goods.
King Coffee's CEO also believes that there should be a policy to support large, potential businesses to develop big brands that can increase the country's reputation, instead of a general leveling policy.
Emphasizing the need to promote strategic cooperation with railways to bring products from Vietnam to China and then to the European market, Ms. Thao said that this route has the advantage of export procedures being done right from the start, ensuring safe transportation and reducing many costs.
Promoting cooperation between Vietnamese and Chinese localities
Besides the activities of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, on November 6, the Mekong Sub-region Economic Corridor Provincial Governors' Forum 2024 took place in Kunming city (Yunnan province, China).
As one of the local leaders participating and speaking at the event, Chairman of Lao Cai People's Committee Trinh Xuan Truong emphasized that the province has been making efforts to promote economic trade connections between regions of Vietnam and ASEAN countries with the Southwest region of China. "However, these results are still not commensurate with the potential and advantages, and have not met the expectations of all parties," Mr. Truong commented.
To accelerate the process of infrastructure construction, jointly build a safe and stable production and supply chain in the region, the Chairman of Lao Cai proposed to further consolidate and upgrade the close partnership, promote synchronous connectivity cooperation, ensure open policies, smooth infrastructure, smart governance, bring inter-provincial cooperation in the Greater Mekong Sub-region combined with the Belt and Road Initiative to a new level, mutually beneficial and win-win cooperation for the common prosperity of the Sub-region.
Mr. Truong also proposed promoting strategic development connections between the two countries, speeding up the promotion of "hard connections" between the two countries in terms of railways, highways, and border gate infrastructure.
According to him, Yunnan needs to soon organize the groundbreaking ceremony and speed up the construction of the road bridge across the Red River in the Bat Xat (Vietnam) - Ba Sai (China) area; Lao Cai needs to speed up the feasibility study of the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong high-speed standard-gauge railway and the connection of standard-gauge rail from Lao Cai (Vietnam) to Hekou (China), starting construction of these projects in 2025.
Speeding up the progress of the Sa Pa airport project in Lao Cai to diversify transportation methods and reduce logistics costs is also a proposal made by Lao Cai province leaders.
He also proposed continuing to improve the quality of investment, economic and trade cooperation through the two sides actively studying and implementing a pilot project to build a cross-border economic cooperation zone according to the Joint Statement of the two General Secretaries.
In particular, according to Mr. Truong, it is necessary to promote comprehensive digital transformation to promote rapid and sustainable socio-economic development.
He said it is necessary to promote cooperation in e-commerce, build a model of cross-border e-commerce cooperation, perfect measures to facilitate customs clearance of e-commerce goods across borders, and develop new forms and models of cross-border e-commerce.
“Actively promote the construction of smart border gate pairs between Lao Cai province and Yunnan province, including the Kim Thanh – Bac Son and Ban Vuoc – Ba Sai border gate pairs,” the Chairman of Lao Cai proposed.
He believes that countries in the region will work together to create the best environment to promote the common prosperity of the Greater Mekong Subregion.
Speaking further with Dan Tri reporters after the working trip accompanying the Prime Minister, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Canh, Vice Chairman of the State Capital Management Committee at Enterprises, said that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's working trip to China this time is an opportunity to promote stronger trade and logistics cooperation between businesses of the two countries, implementing the joint statement of the two countries' senior leaders.
In particular, Mr. Canh emphasized the goal of promoting hard and soft infrastructure connections to contribute to the socio-economic development of both countries.
According to the Vice Chairman of the State Capital Management Committee at Enterprises, Vietnam and China need to urgently connect railways and roads between the two countries' border provinces; agree on common quarantine issues as well as customs procedures, tax and fee policies; create conditions for the two countries to promote trade, raising two-way trade turnover to the expected level.
Commenting on the economic development potential of the two countries, which have advantages that no other country has when “mountains connect to mountains, rivers connect to rivers”, Mr. Canh said that cooperation between Vietnam and China will bring specific and practical benefits to the people of the two countries, first of all contributing to reducing costs and improving the competitiveness of goods.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/xa-hoi/thong-thuong-duong-sat-voi-trung-quoc-mo-cua-dua-hang-viet-ra-the-gioi-20241109225318202.htm
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