Bridging Borders: China and Vietnam's Railway Renaissance

China and Vietnam have agreed to conduct feasibility studies for two new railway lines amid President Xi Jinping's visit to Hanoi. The development aims to strengthen supply chains and infrastructure cooperation. Despite past conflicts, economic interests now prioritize the rail links, with loans expected from China.

China and Vietnam have made significant strides towards enhancing their railway connections, as discussed during Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent visit to Hanoi. The two countries have agreed to conduct feasibility studies for two new lines, part of long-standing plans to upgrade the century-old French-built railways and create further direct links.

Facing increasing pressure from U.S. tariffs, President Xi urged Vietnam to fortify supply chains, particularly those involving components produced in China and assembled in northern Vietnam for export. Vietnamese leader To Lam emphasized the crucial importance of the railway projects for bilateral infrastructure cooperation and encouraged China to extend concessional loans.

Economic motivations seem to have outweighed historical distrust between the two nations, who have experienced past tensions over the South China Sea. Plans are advancing for constructing a new line connecting Vietnam's northern coast to Kunming, China. Feasibility studies, costing 9.95 million yuan, for two planned rail links are set to begin shortly, according to recent agreements.

(With inputs from agencies.)