On the morning of June 8th, at the International Border Gate No. 2 Kim Thanh (Lao Cai), delegations from the Lao Cai Province Border Gate and Yunnan Province Border Gate held a working session to exchange and propose initiatives regarding the management of border gate operations.

Scene of the working session.

Participating in the meeting, the Lao Cai Province Border Gate delegation included Mr. Vuong Trinh Quoc, Head of the Provincial Economic Zone Management Board, along with representatives from various provincial departments and specialized units of the Economic Zone Management Board.

The Yunnan Province Border Gate delegation was led by Mr. Ma Tuan, Deputy Head of the Trade Office, Chief of the Border Gate Office of the People’s Government of Yunnan Province, and representatives from specialized departments of the Yunnan Province Trade Office.

Mr. Ma Tuan, Deputy Head of the Trade Office, Chief of the Border Gate Office of the People’s Government of Yunnan Province, speaking at the working session.

During the meeting, Mr. Ma Tuan emphasized that the import-export activities and trade volume through the Ha Khau – Lao Cai border gate have been increasingly robust and achieved significant results. Based on practical surveys, they highly value the management model of import-export activities at the Lao Cai border gate.Import-export activities at Kim Thanh Border Gate.

Mr. Ma Tuan of Yunnan Province noted that the development of the border gate will positively impact the socio-economic development of Yunnan and Lao Cai provinces. Recently, Yunnan Province has opened transportation routes for goods from Yunnan cities to Lao Cai via both road and rail. This demonstrates cooperation between both sides in trade activities, import-export of goods, and hopes for even stronger development in the future.

Yunnan Province Border Gate delegation inspecting the reality at Kim Thanh Border Gate.

Mr. Ma Tuan also highlighted areas of concern for future activities at the Ha Khau – Lao Cai border gate, including summarizing experiences and expanding the management model to other land border gates between Yunnan (China) and Vietnam.

Enhancing coordination and promoting the upgrade and renovation of the smart border management system, establishing and improving the “3 lanes for imports, 2 lanes for exports” goods flow at Kim Thanh – Ha Khau border gate to increase customs clearance capacity and reduce traffic congestion of goods through the border gate.

Introducing the goods import-export flow at Kim Thanh Border Gate.

Regarding border management, Mr. Ma Tuan pointed out two key issues: changes in the customs inspection methods in Vietnam and the issue of empty container trucks stranded at the border gate. Therefore, he suggested that Lao Cai should enhance discussions to promptly find solutions to these issues.

Regarding the construction of a cross-border road bridge over the Hong River area of Ba Sai (Yunnan, China) – Ban Vuoc (Bat Xat, Lao Cai), significant progress has been made in project implementation. According to the agreement between both sides, the project is scheduled to commence in September 2024.

Therefore, besides constructing the road bridge, both parties need to focus on investing in infrastructure to serve goods inspection and entry-exit vehicles. Lao Cai is requested to closely coordinate for the installation of goods inspection equipment, ensuring synchronization and effectiveness.

Mr. Vuong Trinh Quoc, Head of the Provincial Economic Zone Management Board, speaking at the working session.

Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Vuong Trinh Quoc of the Lao Cai Province Economic Zone Management Board informed about the cooperative mechanisms and discussions on border gate management between the Economic Zone Management Board of Lao Cai Province and the Ha Khau Border Gate Management Board in recent times. In the future, Lao Cai will sign cooperation agreements with Chau Hong Ha and Chau Van Son (Yunnan, China), which include various aspects of border trade cooperation.

Therefore, Lao Cai suggests that Yunnan Province create favorable conditions to restore the exchange activities of border residents at Muong Khuong – Kieu Dau and Lo Co Chin – Lao Kha border gates, and resume entry-exit activities of border residents at the Hua Chu Phung – Seo Pa Chu border crossing.

Introducing the import-export activities at Kim Thanh Border Gate to the Yunnan Province Border Gate delegation.

Regarding the construction of smart border gates, Lao Cai Province is studying to implement the Smart Border Gate Project to ensure consistency. It is suggested that China facilitate and enhance exchanges, study the construction of smart border gates to ensure consistency and compliance with the regulations of each country.

In response to proposals and suggestions analyzed and clarified, both sides agreed to strengthen research and consider establishing cooperative mechanisms to enhance the efficiency of border gate operations, thereby contributing to increasing the trade volume of goods between the two sides.