Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has visited the Chongqing International Logistics Hub Park in China, calling for expanding bilateral cooperation to help Vietnamese firms raise exports to China and other countries.

PM Chinh made the visit on Friday as part of his trip to China for the eighth Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit and other meetings from November 5 to 8 at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Li Qiang. 

Located in a total area of 17.93 hectares in southwestern Chinese province of Chongqing, the Chongqing International Logistics Hub Park has long been chosen by 30 international transport companies as a gateway to penetrate into mainland China.

Its Chongqing dry port is linked with 14 bonded warehouses in different Vietnamese localities, including Hanoi, northern Hai Phong City, central Da Nang City, and southern Ho Chi Minh City, among others.

Hailing the park’s strategic location and significant role in international trade connection, PM Chinh suggested it to expand business cooperation with Vietnamese partners by road, waterway, and railway, especially the international railway line from Vietnam through Chongqing to Central Asia and Europe.

The Vietnamese government leader urged both sides to enhance railway connectivity to facilitate transport of their goods to Central Asia and Europe.

He also called on the Chinese side to closely coordinate with Vietnamese partners in developing logistics, trade and related industries to create more access for Vietnamese goods to enter not only the Chinese market but also third countries, especially in the Middle East and Europe. 

PM Chinh hoped that the Chinese side would provide Vietnam with financial support, technology transfer, human resources training, and experience sharing.

During his visit, the PM took a sightseeing tour of the park, visited a Vietnamese product booth, and listened to a brief on routine activities of the park’s operating center.

He welcomed an ASEAN fast train coming to the park from Hanoi, carrying containers of exports to Europe, including Vietnamese goods and those in transit through Vietnam from some other ASEAN countries.

These containers will be connected to Asia-Europe trains departing from Chongqing to European cities, a representative of the Vietnam Railways Corporation, the state-owned operator of the railway system in Vietnam, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.  

Rail transport helps shorten goods delivery time compared to sea transport while having much lower freight rates than air transport, the representative commented. 

In recent years, Vietnam Railways Corporation has cooperated with China and other countries to promote international cargo transport by rail to Russia, Mongolia, Europe, Central Asia and other markets.

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