The Vietnamese government this month agreed in principle to allow Lao Cai to expand cooperation ties with Yunnan, assigning the ministries of Trade, Foreign Affairs, Planning and Investment, Finance, Industry, Transport, Defense, and Public Security to exchange views with the committee about the scheme.

Vinh said the scheme focuses on beefing up cooperation on developing infrastructure, tapping natural resources of the two sides for production development, assisting each other in economic restructure and poverty reduction, applying technical and scientific advancements and transferring technology, promoting investment and trade, protecting environment, developing cultural and social activities, and creating better investment climate and more favorable conditions for border trade.

"Border trade brings about many benefits. But, it poses challenges regarding smuggling, trade frauds and disease quarantine. Therefore, the two sides should manage border well and deal with border-related issues smoothly," Vinh said.

Regarding mutual understanding about culture and language as a key to closer multi-faceted cooperation between the two sides, Lao Cai has sent many cadres to Yunnan for studying Chinese.

"Now, 30 senior cadres of Lao Cai, who have already graduated from universities in Vietnam, are studying in Yunnan. They must study Chinese for one or two years, so they will be able to work with Chinese people," Vinh said, adding that his province annually send hundreds of students to the Honghe Institute for studying different fields.

In mid-October, a Chinese language training center was established in Lao Cai. The center's formation is a good opportunity for the two sides to deepen their education and training ties, as well as a favorable condition for Vietnamese cadres and students to enrich their knowledge of beautiful Chinese language, culture and people, Vinh said.

With the closer ties between Vietnam and China in general, Lao Cai and Yunnan in particular, socio-economic activities of the two sides will become more effervescent in the coming time. "Vietnam's trade turnovers with China via the Lao Cai international border gate will increase rapidly in the next five years," the chairman stated.

Vietnam's import and export turnovers with China via the border gate are estimated at 400 million US dollars this year, up more than 33.3 percent against last year, he said, noting that the trade turnover via the gate has annually surged 25-30 percent in recent years.

The chairman expressed his belief that the upcoming visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to Vietnam would further strengthen the friendly and cooperative ties between the two countries.

"I strongly believe that the visit will bring about new contents of close cooperation in politics, economy, culture and other fields between the two countries, benefiting the two peoples. "

At a recent meeting of the China-Vietnam Joint Committee on Economic and Trade Cooperation, the two sides agreed to boost their economic and trade cooperation and fulfill a two-way trade target of 15 billion dollars by 2010. Bilateral trade, which stood at 6.74 billion dollars in 2004, is expected to reach 8 billion dollars this year.

Source: Xinhua