Vietnam to establish new consulate general in Southwest China

KUNMING -- China and Vietnam confirmed on Thursday that a consulate general of Vietnam will be set up in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality, in addition to its embassy in Beijing and consulates in Nanning, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Kunming.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended a ceremony for the exchange of notes between the two governments on establishing the new consulate general.

The ceremony took place on the sidelines of the eighth Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit in Kunming, Yunnan province.

China is ready to work with Vietnam to make good use of the steering committee for bilateral cooperation and other dialogue mechanisms to expand trade and investment, and tap cooperation potential in emerging areas such as e-commerce, digital economy and green energy, Li said at the ceremony.

Li said both sides should speed up connectivity through railways, highways and smart ports, promote smooth border trade, and explore the establishment of cross-border economic cooperation zones.

He said China is ready to closely coordinate with Vietnam under the GMS and the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation and other multilateral frameworks.

Pham Minh Chinh said developing long-term, stable and friendly cooperation with China is the strategic choice and top priority of Vietnam's foreign policy.

He said Vietnam is willing to continue to keep close exchanges with China at all levels, deepen cooperation in economy, trade, connectivity, culture and other fields, and strengthen communication and collaboration within multilateral mechanisms.