Vietnam, China trade ties seeing new momentum

Transport connectivity is among the factors facilitating bilateral trade and investment relations.

In the Joint Communiqu, the two sides agreed to discuss and swiftly decide an overall plan for building a cross-border economic cooperation area and promoting infrastructure connectivity projects. They also agreed to officially establish the Working Group on infrastructure cooperation.

In late 2014, Vietnam inaugurated its longest and most modernized expressway, with a total length of 245 km, connecting Vietnam's capital Hanoi to its Lao Cai province bordering China.

The Noi Bai-Lao Cai expressway is part of the China's Kunming- Vietnam's Hai Phong Transport Corridor and belongs to the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) cooperation program connecting Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and China.

In May 2015, the first two lanes of the last remaining segment of the Noi Bai-Lao Cai expressway from Lao Cai's Binh Minh ward to Kim Thanh international border gate with China opened to traffic.

The section helps connect the Noi Bai-Lao Cai expressway to China's Kunming-Hekou expressway.

In addition, the construction of a 63.8-km section of the Bac Giang-Lang Son expressway, which is a part of the 152-km Hanoi- Lang Son expressway, from Hanoi to Lang Son province's Huu Nghi border gate, was started in early July 2015.

Meanwhile, at the meeting with Vietnamese party chief Nguyen Phu Trong in Beijing in April, Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Vietnam's participation in the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative.

The Vietnamese party chief said his country is studying the initiative, which is expected to boost trade along the way.

Nguyen Van Cac, a staff in a Vietnamese logistics company, which does a lot of business with its Chinese partners, said with better infrastructure connectivity, trade exchange will be further enhanced and companies will have expanded benefits.

"Vietnam and China are two neighboring countries. It will benefit both if the two countries join hands together. I hope the two countries will continue to cooperate with each other in all fields, including trade, investment, tourism and culture, among others," Nguyen Huong Thao, a 28-year-old office staff told Xinhua in Hanoi on Wednesday.