Senior officials from Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and the Vietnam provinces of Cao Bang, Lang Son, Quang Ninh, and Ha Giang met at an online conference on April 9 to discuss cooperation in 2021 and over next five years.

In 2020, Guangxi and the four Vietnamese provinces it borders have overcome the impact of COVID-19 and achieved great results in joint prevention and control of the pandemic, trade and the economy, interconnectivity, and border management. These hard-won achievements have fully demonstrated the resilience and potential of the friendly and cooperative relations between Guangxi and the Vietnamese provinces.

At present, China-Vietnam relations and the two countries' cause of developing socialism are both entering a critical stage. All parties at the conference said they looked forward to mutual cooperation over the next five years, and nailed down the key cooperation directions and areas in 2021.

Consensus has been reached that all parties should seize new opportunities, continue to strengthen pandemic prevention and control and medical cooperation, accelerate infrastructure interconnectivity, and boost economic and trade cooperation and the construction of cross-border economic cooperation zones.

Guangxi and the four Vietnam provinces should all accelerate key port construction and expand their economic opening-up, continue to promote people-to-people exchanges and cross-border tourism, and strive to achieve common development that benefits the people from both countries.