Vietnamese, Chinese defense ministers visit smart border gate in Guangxi

Their joint activities took place as part of the ninth Vietnam-China Border Defense Friendship Exchange, which kicked off the same morning.

The two ministers led high-level delegations on a visit to the smart border gate model at the Youyi Guan border gate, the Youyi Guan border guard company, Elementary School No. 4 in Pingxiang City, and the model village of Zhou Lian in Ningming County.

At the Youyi Guan border guard company, the ministers inspected facilities and witnessed a joint online briefing by the naval forces of both countries reporting results of an exchange event held in Beihai City.

The ministers also launched the 38th joint maritime patrol in the Gulf of Tonkin.

They then moved to the Youyi Guan smart border gate, which is part of China’s modernization efforts in customs control.

The smart border gate is also tied to a 2023 agreement between Vietnam’s Lang Son Province and China’s Guangxi to pilot smart gate operations—an effort to enhance cross-border trade and economic cooperation at the local level.

The trip concluded with a community outreach program, where the delegations visited Elementary School No. 4 and the model village of Zhou Lian, promoting people-to-people ties and peace-building.

The remaining part of the two-day Vietnam-China Border Defense Friendship Exchange is scheduled to take place in Vietnam’s Lang Son Province on Thursday.

This year’s exchange follows the state visit to Vietnam by Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping from Monday to Tuesday this week.

During the visit, Vietnam and China issued a joint statement on continuing to deepen the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and promoting the building of a Vietnam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.