The Mong Cai International Border Gate in Mong Cai city of Quang Ninh province (Photo: VNA) Quang Ninh, which shares more than 118km of land border and 191km of sea border with China, is located at the start of the countries’ “Two Corridors, One Belt” economic cooperation zone, in the Nanning - Singapore Economic Corridor, and the expanded Gulf of Tonkin inter-regional cooperation area under the ASEAN - China Free Trade Area.
It has signed 26 provincial-level agreements with Chinese localities. Via these cooperative ties, the province has gradually established itself as “a gateway, a bridge” in the Vietnam - ASEAN - China cooperation, helping to achieve major outcomes in almost all areas, especially cross-border economic and trade partnerships, road transport, border gate opening and upgrade, border management, and the fight against cross-border crimes.
In 2020, the value of goods traded through Quang Ninh’s border gates approximated 2.79 billion USD, including over 1.11 billion USD in exports, 980 million USD in imports, and 695 million USD worth of items temporarily imported for re-export or stored in bonded warehouses.
Of the total figure, Mong Cai city of the province posted over 1.09 billion USD in exports, nearly 1.04 billion USD in imports, and 694 million USD of goods temporarily imported for re-export or stored in bonded warehouses. Hai Ha district recorded 3.5 million USD in exports and 4.5 million USD in imports, and Binh Lieu district had 16.6 million USD in exports and 65.9 million USD in imports.
On July 16, 2021, authorities of Quang Ninh and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China officially launched customs clearance through Bac Luan No 2 Bridge, which links Mong Cai International Border Gate of Vietnam with Dongxing Border Gate of China.
The two sides have also coordinated to complete infrastructure for Hoanh Mo - Dong Zhong border gate area so that this border gate pair will officially make debut in the near future.
After a hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, some local border gates, crossings, and sites for shipping goods to China have been reopened such as the Mong Cai International Border Gate and Bac Luan No 2 Bridge (on February 7, 2020), and the Hoanh Mo Border Gate in Binh Lieu district (March 2, 2020). Bac Phong Sinh Border Gate in Hai Ha district resumed customs clearance on June 18 last year and export and import activities less than one month later, on July 6.
Facing the pandemic’s substantial impacts on trading, people’s exit from and entry into the country, as well as cooperation between Quang Ninh and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the provincial Party Committee has ordered relevant authorities and localities to comply with the Party and Government’s directions while proactively adjusting plans so as to simultaneously curbing the outbreak and sustaining cooperation activities with the Chinese side.
Since the beginning of 2021, the administration of Mong Cai city has held five meetings with its Guangxi counterpart to work out measures to promote bilateral trade.
As a result, in spite of the pandemic’s impacts, the city’s environment for export and import activities has continued to improve, more goods have been traded via official channels, and the trade revenue has also been on the rise.
As of May 31, Mong Cai recorded 1.47 billion USD in trade revenue, growing 14 percent from a year earlier. The turnover included 628 million USD in imports, down 28 percent, and 842 million USD in exports, up 103 percent.
For 2021, Quang Ninh province is moving to carry out the Party and State’s foreign policy and effectively implementing friendship exchanges and cooperation programmes with Guangxi. Its authorities and localities are also working to maintain relations with their Guangxi counterparts in combating COVID-19, stepping up transport connectivity, upgrading border gate pairs, facilitating customs clearance, and gradually resuming cross-border trade, investment, and tourism./.
VNA
