China and Vietnam still have a lot of potential to expand cooperation.

Secretary of the Party Committee of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (China) Chen Gang gives an interview to a VNA reporter in Beijing - Photo: VNA

For Guangxi (China), Vietnam is considered the closest partner, as it only needs to open the door to be adjacent. In implementing international cooperation, the first country Guangxi looks to is also Vietnam. Therefore, immediately after being assigned by the Central Committee to work in Guangxi for more than a month, Comrade Tran Cuong - Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, paid an official visit to Vietnam. This was his first visit to Vietnam with very good impressions, even exceeding his initial expectations. He highly appreciated the friendliness of the Vietnamese people, the beautiful environment, stable security and order, and the bustling atmosphere of construction and development everywhere. He said he felt happy for Vietnam with the achievements it has made.

Secretary Tran Cuong assessed that the China-Vietnam relationship has developed positively in recent times, with the level of political trust between the two sides increasingly deepening. He recalled that General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping and General Secretary To Lam and President Liang Qiang exchanged congratulatory messages earlier this year on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and the official announcement of the "Year of China-Vietnam Humanitarian Exchange".

In addition to the trust between senior leaders, Mr. Tran Cuong said that cooperation between localities of the two countries is also taking place very actively. During his recent visit to Vietnam, he and the Provincial Party Secretaries of four provinces bordering China - Quang Ninh, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Ha Giang - organized the 10th Spring Meeting. At this event, the two sides signed many important cooperation projects, demonstrating the deep connection from the central level to the local and city levels between the two countries.

At the same time, Guangxi and Vietnam have also effectively implemented infrastructure connection work. Currently, Guangxi has 9 highways and 2 railways connecting directly to the Vietnam border. The two sides have 9 land border gates, of which last year, Dongxing border gate processed customs procedures for more than 8.5 million people, with an average of more than 20,000 people passing through this border gate every day. He added that not only transport infrastructure, the two sides also cooperate extensively in the fields of economy, trade and investment.

People-to-people exchange is also a bright spot in bilateral relations. According to Secretary Tran Cuong, there are currently many tourists traveling between the two countries, and an increasing number of Vietnamese students are choosing Guangxi as their study abroad destination. It can be said that bilateral cooperation is currently very diverse, multi-dimensional and is in a period of friendly exchange.

Assessing the results of economic and trade cooperation between Guangxi and Vietnam in the past as well as prospects in the coming time, Secretary Tran Cuong said that the golden age of economic and trade cooperation between Guangxi and Vietnam has just begun, and the two sides still have a lot of room for cooperation in the future.

Secretary Tran Cuong cited that the two-way import-export turnover between Guangxi and Vietnam in 2024 reached nearly 300 billion yuan (41.2 billion USD), an increase of 16.4% over the same period last year. Vietnam has also been Guangxi's largest trading partner for the past 26 years.

Secretary Tran Cuong noted that there is still much untapped potential, especially in the agricultural sector. Citing the example of durian - a popular fruit in China but not grown in Guangxi, known as the "homeland of Chinese fruit" - he said a large amount of Vietnamese durian was imported through border gates such as Dongxing and Pingxiang, contributing to China's total import value of more than $6 billion of this commodity last year.

In addition, Secretary Tran Cuong added that the Huu Nghi Quan - Bang Tuong border gate is currently being accelerated in construction to become the first smart border gate between the two countries, aiming to improve customs clearance efficiency and promote bilateral trade.

Assessing Vietnam's economic development, Secretary Tran Cuong expressed his joy at the achievements Vietnam has made in recent years. He said that the two economies can support each other in the industry chain, supply chain, technology chain and investment chain.

Secretary Chen Gang also mentioned that some large enterprises from Guangxi such as Yuchai Group have invested in Vietnam, while many Vietnamese enterprises have also opened offices in Guangxi to take advantage of opportunities from the Chinese market. He emphasized that the two sides need to review the links in the current industry chain to supplement and further improve cooperation. According to Secretary Chen Gang, China is promoting the transformation of the manufacturing industry structure, and Vietnam is also taking similar steps, so the two sides can completely promote cooperation in this field.

Regarding activities to enhance understanding and friendship between the people of the two countries, especially those in border areas, Secretary Tran Cuong said that this year - on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and the "Year of China-Vietnam Humanitarian Exchange" - Guangxi will organize many practical activities.

First of all, Secretary Tran Cuong said that cooperation between localities will be strengthened. During his recent visit, he and the Party Secretaries of the four border provinces of Vietnam held a spring meeting and invited the Secretary of the Hai Phong City Party Committee to attend. From 2026, this mechanism will be expanded to “1+5”, including Guangxi and five provinces and cities of Vietnam. He emphasized that exchanges will not only stop at the provincial level, but also extend to cities, districts and mass organizations such as trade unions, women's associations, and youth unions.

Regarding cultural and tourism cooperation, Secretary Tran Cuong said that the cross-border tourist area between Duc Thien Waterfall (China) and Ban Gioc Waterfall (Vietnam) has welcomed more than 730 delegations of visitors from both countries since its operation in October 2024, exceeding initial expectations despite not being widely promoted. He assessed this cooperation area as a typical model for promoting humanistic exchanges, and hoped that the two sides would further expand cultural and tourism exchange activities. He also mentioned the opening of the Beihai-Ha Long cruise ship route, as well as the direct flight from Nanning to Hai Phong, which has significantly shortened travel time and expanded the potential for tourism cooperation.

In addition, the two sides also need to encourage and promote exchanges between people in the two regions. Secretary Tran Cuong mentioned the friendly football tournament between Dong Hung and Mong Cai that has been held very enthusiastically over the past 30 years and proposed expanding this model to other localities to enrich the content of people-to-people exchanges. According to him, in addition to sports and culture, people in border areas also have a need to support each other in the fields of health and education.

Based on the existing foundations, Secretary Tran Cuong assessed that China and Vietnam still have a lot of potential to expand cooperation. This year, he expected the two sides to effectively carry out the agreed activities, especially encouraging the youth and younger generations of the two countries to increase exchanges, creating a premise for inheriting and developing the friendship between the two peoples in the future.

According to VNA

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/trung-quoc-va-viet-nam-con-rat-nhieu-tiem-nang-de-mo-rong-hop-tac-102250411131801283.htm