HANOI, July 30 (Xinhuanet) -- In the context of good and drastic development of the Vietnam-China relations, Vietnam would like to broaden and deepen its economic and trade ties with China's Guangxi, a senior government official said here on Friday.

    "We want to seek measures to boost the ties so that Guangxi will become a bridge, an entrance of the cooperation between Chinaand ASEAN members (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) including Vietnam," Vietnamese deputy prime minister Vu Khoan saidwhile receiving a delegation led by Li Jinzao, vice governor of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

    The governments of Vietnam and China have agreed to establishedtwo economic corridors and the Beibu Gulf economic belt, Khoan said, stressing that a corridor and the belt are directly related to Guangxi which houses the city of Nanning, part of a corridor and the belt.

    Regarding the trade ties between Vietnam and Guangxi, the deputy prime minister noted that Vietnam welcomed the organizationof the China- ASEAN Trade Fair in Nanning on November 3-6, and would send its officials and enterprises to attend it.

    For his part, Li said Guangxi shoulders the responsibility for developing its economic and friendly ties with Vietnam, mainly by cooperating in transport, investment and trade, stressing that theregion wants to develop the two economic corridors from specific projects such as road upgrades and mineral exploitation.

    Guangxi and Vietnam can join hands in upgrading roads linking the Chinese province with the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi and the northern provinces of Quang Ninh and Cao Bang, and mining or processing iron ores in Cao Bang, Li stressed.

    Also on Friday, Vu Khoan and Li Jinzao attended the inauguration ceremony of the Guangxi China Industrial Products Exhibition Fair in Hanoi. The fair showcases industrial products and consumer goods of more than 140 Chinese enterprises from Guangxi's four major cities.

    Addressing the fair, Li hoped that via the fair, the province and Vietnam in general, and their enterprises in particularly would strengthen their close trade, economic and friendly ties, especially in the form of export acceleration and investment promotion, helping further tap the great comprehensive cooperationpotential of Vietnam and China.

    At the fair, Vietnamese deputy trade minister Phan The Rue saidVietnam and China have recorded strong socioeconomic development in recent years thanks to their open policies, despite difficulties in global trade. Trade and investment ties between the two countries have been greatly consolidated.

    "Vietnam-China trade turnovers this year will beat the target offive billion US dollars, one year ahead the schedule set by the two governments. By March 2004, China had 259 investment projects with total registered capital of 531 million dollars in Vietnam, ranking the 15th among foreign investors in the country," Rue noted. Enditem