KUNMING — China and Vietnam confirmed Thursday that a consulate general of Vietnam will be opened in southwest China’s Chongqing municipality, in addition to its embassy in Beijing and consulates in Nanning, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Kunming.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended an exchange of notes ceremony between the two governments on the establishment of the new consulate general.

The ceremony took place on the sidelines of the eighth Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Summit in Kunming, Yunnan province.

China is ready to work with Vietnam to make good use of the bilateral cooperation steering committee and other dialogue mechanisms to expand trade and investment, and tap the potential for cooperation in emerging areas such as e-commerce, digital economy and green energy, Li said at the ceremony.

Li said the two sides should accelerate connectivity through railways, highways and smart ports, promote smooth border trade and explore the establishment of cross-border economic cooperation zones.

He said China is ready to coordinate closely with Vietnam under the GMS, Lancang-Mekong cooperation and other multilateral frameworks.

Pham Minh Chinh said developing friendly, stable and long-term cooperation with China is the strategic choice and top priority of Vietnam’s foreign policy.

He said Vietnam is willing to continue to maintain close exchanges with China at all levels, deepen cooperation in economics, trade, connectivity, culture and other fields. areas, and to strengthen communication and collaboration within multilateral mechanisms.