Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region will bolster initiatives to promote the high-quality development of border economic cooperation zones and support cross-border labor service cooperation, officials announced on Oct 16.

A document on supporting the high-quality development of border economic cooperation zones was released on Oct 8, putting forward that border economic cooperation zones will be built into high-level opening platforms along the border featuring border commerce, processing and manufacturing, production services, cross-border finance, as well as logistics procurement.

Support will be given in areas spanning cross-border industrial cooperation between border economic cooperation zones and overseas industrial zones, attracting private capital or foreign capital for the development and operation of border economic cooperation zones, as well as facilitating business services.

Three border cities in Guangxi, namely Chongzuo, Fangchenggang, and Baise, signed cooperation agreements on cross-border labor service with four provinces in Vietnam, which were Quang Ninh, Lang Son, Cao Bang, and Ha Giang, in February 2017, marking the establishment of the China-Vietnam cross-border labor service cooperation mechanism.

Trial initiatives will also be conducted, such as allowing migrant workers from Vietnam to stay in the border economic cooperation zones for up to 90 days.

Guangxi will guide the upstream and downstream industrial chain and supply chain to cluster in border economic cooperation zones, focusing on the development of distinctive advantageous industries including food processing, electronic information, furniture manufacturing, auto electromechanical parts, metal deep processing, and Chinese herbal medicine processing.