Border trade with Vietnam flourishes in Dongxing

According to the latest customs figures, border trade in Guangxi jumped by 8.6 percent year-on-year to 46 billion yuan in the first half of 2015, the highest of any border city in China.

Booming trade has not only brought economic benefits to China, but also benefited the Vietnamese people.

Tran Le Thuong, who runs a specialty store in Dongxing, said total daily trade volume in her store can reach as much as 10,000 yuan.

"I even learned Chinese so that I can communicate with Chinese people more effectively," she said.

Zhao Minglong, a research fellow with the Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences, pointed out that enhanced trade has helped people on both sides of the border and can contribute to regional peace and prosperity.

"The destinies of China and Vietnam are closely connected," Zhao said.

Local business people hope that more preferential trade policies are on the way as the two countries seek closer ties.

"I'm confident about the bright prospects," Nguyen Thi Dung, a Vietnamese interpreter working in Dongxing, said.

"I believe there will be more favorable policies that facilitate businesses for us," the 29-year-old said.