Guangxi plans cross-border trade zone

Nanning - The Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region is seeking breakthroughs in the creation of an unprecedented cross-border economic cooperation zone with Vietnam in the next five years, its chairman, Ma Biao, has said.

Guangxi has planned to build the zone - an 8.5-square-kilometer region between its Pingxiang county and Vietnam's Dong Dang town - into a model that demonstrates the concept of "one region, two countries", Ma said.

The zone's formation was jointly agreed upon after Guangxi and Vietnam's northern province, Lang Son, signed a memorandum in January 2007. Guangxi expects the jointly managed zone to become an import-export processing center and a distribution depot with tax perks offered by both countries' customs.