From the common understandings reached at the annual Spring Meeting to agreements at the government level and 11 memoranda of understanding, cooperation agreements and economic contracts between businesses from the two sides, cooperation between Quang Ninh (Vietnam) and Guangxi (China) is gradually moving from orientation to concrete programmes, projects and business opportunities. This provides an important foundation for expanding cross-border economic cooperation in the new period.
Turning agreements into concrete action
On the basis of common understandings between the senior leaders of the two Parties and two States, Quang Ninh and Guangxi have maintained regular exchanges, connectivity and cooperation. One important mechanism is the annual Spring Meeting programme. In 2026, the programme was held in Nanning with the participation of Party secretaries from five Vietnamese provinces and cities and the Secretary of the Guangxi Party Committee. At the meeting, leaders of Quang Ninh and Guangxi agreed on a number of key areas of cooperation, with a focus on promoting infrastructure connectivity, improving border gate operations, developing border trade and logistics, expanding tourism, and broadening cooperation in new fields.
Notably, at the programme, Secretary of the Quang Ninh City Party Committee Quan Minh Cuong proposed that the two sides accelerate implementation of the Mong Cai - Dongxing Smart Border Gate and the Mong Cai - Dongxing Cross-Border Economic Cooperation Zone; advance procedures related to Bac Luan III Bridge and the upgrading of Bac Luan I and Bac Luan II bridges; and further facilitate import-export activities. Alongside infrastructure connectivity, the two sides also placed emphasis on expanding cooperation in digital transformation, artificial intelligence, logistics, e-commerce, cross-border tourism and human resource training.
These orientations were further translated into concrete action during a working visit by a Quang Ninh delegation to Guangxi in early July 2026, led by the Chairman of the Quang Ninh City People’s Committee. At the talks, the two sides agreed to continue implementing the areas of cooperation established at the Spring Meeting while expanding cooperation in artificial intelligence, digital transformation, the digital economy, biotechnology and smart agriculture; encouraging businesses to invest in processing industries, energy, logistics and the green economy; strengthening high-quality human resource training; and promoting tourism development linkages.
One concrete outcome of the programme was the signing, witnessed by the two sides, of cooperation agreements between departments, sectors and localities in a range of fields, including science and technology and innovation; development of the Mong Cai - Dongxing Cross - Border Economic Cooperation Zone; trade, investment, tourism, cultural and healthcare promotion; and cooperation between border localities. In particular, 11 memoranda of understanding, cooperation agreements and economic contracts signed between businesses from the two localities opened up further opportunities for partner connectivity, market expansion and the implementation of concrete cooperation activities.
Making cross - border cooperation more substantive
In July, Quang Ninh and Guangxi held a business networking conference with the participation of around 150 enterprises from the two localities. At the conference, exchanges extended from information on the investment environment to demand for partner matching, product development and supply-chain connectivity. Eleven memoranda of understanding, cooperation agreements and economic contracts were signed between Quang Ninh and Guangxi businesses. This was an important highlight, as the signed agreements went beyond traditional trade exchanges and moved towards stages capable of creating added value across the entire chain.
Notably, Thanh Dat Joint Stock Company and Guangxi Beitou Construction Investment Co., Ltd. signed a cooperation agreement on investment in logistics development and an agricultural, forestry and aquatic product trading centre. Tan Dai Duong International Import-Export Joint Stock Company signed cooperation agreements with Guangxi businesses on investment in border gate infrastructure and the construction of a goods quality testing laboratory in Mong Cai. Following the signing, Tan Dai Duong and Chinese businesses jointly invested in a 430sq.m laboratory for testing agricultural, forestry and aquatic products, with initial-phase investment of around VND 30 billion. The centre is located at the Bac Luan II cargo inspection area, enabling testing to be carried out directly within the border gate area and closely linked to import-export activities.
In agriculture and fisheries, businesses from the two sides are seeking opportunities to import Vietnamese tea, conduct seafood import-export activities and supply frozen aquatic products. In tourism, travel companies signed agreements on two-way visitor exchanges, expanding the Vietnam - China tourism market.
In the first nine months of 2026, total import-export turnover through border gates in the area was estimated at more than USD 5.57 billion, up 18.6% year on year. Of this, exports reached more than USD 3.12 billion, imports more than USD 1.93 billion, while border residents’ trade totalled nearly USD 520 million.
These results show that Quang Ninh - Guangxi cooperation is increasingly taking shape under a clear approach: orientations are established at the senior level, mechanisms are translated into concrete measures at the government level, and opportunities are converted into transactions at the business level, narrowing the gap between “commitment” and “action”
