The northern mountainous province of Lao Cai and its Chinese neighbour, Yunnan province, held an exchange from Nov. 3-4 to seek ways to remove difficulties and boost economic-trade and tourism development between the two localities.

The two sides reviewed the implementation of agreements reached during the 2008 China-Vietnam Border Trade Fair as well as discussed policies on investment and import-export encouragement and operation mechanisms of the Kim Thanh Trade and Industrial Zone.

Speaking at the exchange, Zhu Xiaoyang, Head of the Yunnan delegation, recorded Lao Cai’s efforts in boosting bilateral cooperation, thus contributing to the construction of the Vietnam-China trans-border economic cooperation zone.

The Chinese side has implemented reforms of operations along its borderline with Lao Cai province, he added.

However, he suggested that the Vietnamese province speed up the implementation of several signed cooperative projects and the construction of the Hanoi-Lao Cai Expressway in order to boost the development of the Kunming-Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong Economic Corridor.

The two sides need to boost tourism promotion campaigns and strengthen cooperation in education and training as well as in improving management capacity and understandings on world trade laws for their staffs, he added.

According to Vice Chairman of the Lao Cai provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Vinh, the province has actively created a transparent investment environment and implemented a number of preferential policies to attract Chinese investors.

However, the two sides should further facilitate import-export, entry-exit, residence and travelling procedures, he said.

Lao Cai province asked its Chinese neighbour to maintain the rotating organisation of border trade fairs in Lao Cai city and Hekou district.

The two sides agreed to organise the 2010 Vietnam-China International Tourism and Trade Fair in Beishan, Hekou district, in the fourth quarter of next year./.