Vietnam-China auxiliary border gates reopened to facilitate trade

Vietnam-China auxiliary border gates to be reopened to facilitate trade (Photo: VNA)

Vice Director of the provincial Lang Son Department of Foreign Affairs Ha Le Huu said his department received the announcement from Guangxi province’s Pingxiang city on February 5.

As concerns over the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) mounted, China decided to close all auxiliary border gates and markets, halting import-export activities from January 31.

Guangxi province announced trade with the Vietnamese side would be paused until February 9.

Meanwhile, customs clearance through Bac Luan II Bridge at Mong Cai International Border Gate in Quang Ninh province was resumed on February 7.

Quang Ninh and Guangxi provinces launched customs clearance via the bridge in March 2019. However, the procedure was suspended for a week due to the impacts of the coronavirus.

At recent talks between Mong Cai city and Guangxi’s Dongxing city, both sides agreed to prioritise customs clearance for feedstock for production at the Texhong Textile Group Co. Ltd. at Mong Cai Border Gate Economic Zone, as well as medical equipment and materials for the prevention and control of nCOV.

Customs clearance will be available for other products on February 8.

The two localities also reached consensus on tight health quarantine, with sterilisation for all vehicles transporting goods from China to Vietnam. Drivers and porters will undergo strict medical examinations as well.

The same quarantine rules will be applied for Vietnamese vehicles and drivers.