Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh on June 4 received Governor of China’s Yunnan province Li Jiheng within the framework of his visit to the province to attend the first China-South Asia Expo and the China Import & Export Fair in the province’s Kunming city.

At the meeting, Deputy PM Ninh highly valued the fine cooperation between Yunnan province and Vietnam’s localities, especially northern provinces , over the past time.

The two sides still hold a lot of cooperation potential, he said, suggesting they continue seeking measures to further boost ties in all fields of economics, trade, tourism and culture, particularly the creation of favourable conditions for both sides’ businesses to expand cooperation.

The Deputy PM affirmed that the Vietnamese Government always backs and creates favourable conditions for Vietnam’s northern provinces to strengthen cooperation with China’s southern localities, including Yunnan. This is reflected through the participation of more than 80 Vietnamese businesses at the June 4-7 Kunming fair, the biggest number among ASEAN participating countries, he said.

Vietnam is also speeding up the construction of Hanoi-Lao Cai, Hanoi-Quang Ninh highways and related railways to facilitate goods exchange and the travel of people between the two countries, he added.

Yunnan province’s leader said that the province attaches importance to cooperation with Vietnam’s localities, including the encouragement of its big businesses to invest in Vietnam.

The Kunming-Hekou highway has been open to traffic while the Kunming-Hekou railway will be also put into operation next year, Li said.

Earlier, the Vietnamese delegation visited the Vietnamese Consulate General in Kunming city.-VNA