Foreign relations to improve Ha Giang's position and prestige in the world stage

The delegation of Ha Giang province participated in the meeting between the Secretary of the provinces of Ha Giang, Lai Chau, Bien Dien, Lao Cai (Vietnam) and the Secretary of the Party Committee of Yunnan province (China)

Ha Giang is the only locality among northern border provinces contiguous to Yunnan Province and Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guangxi Province of China, with a total border line length over 277 km. There is an international border gate, a bilateral border gate and 13 ways. Implementing the diplomatic strategy of the Party and State, Ha Giang province has been actively, flexibly and creatively building a friendly neighborly relationship and comprehensive cooperation with equal localities, thereby promoting local socio-economic development and ensuring security and defense.

Border sentiment

The local people of Thanh Thuy, Minh Tan, and Thanh Duc border communes (Vi Xuyen districts) are Mong, Dao and Tay people. In 2018, local people in Thanh Thuy, Minh Tan, Thanh Duc border commune, Vi Xuyen district (Vietnam) and Tianbao town, Malypho, Wenshan Zhuang, Yunnan province (China) signed an agreement to preserve the traditional relationship between two countries Vietnam and China.

This event has an important meaning in people's diplomacy of province. Through the agreement, the people of two countries together build solidarity and friendship; strictly implement 3 legal documents on the borderland area between Vietnam and China; regularly visit, exchange cultures, and help each other in developing the economy, preserving the ecological environment; preventing natural disasters and epidemics, border crimes. Mr. Bon Van Thay, Head of Nam Ngat village, Thanh Thuy commune, shared: "The signing between the two residential areas creates good conditions for the people of the two countries to live together in peace, trade, exchange goods, support each other in economic development, and raise awareness of border security protection, limiting the situation of cross-border freelance wokers.

Following the above results, localities of the province have signed friendship agreements for 14 residential areas (34/34 border communes and towns) of Vietnam with 11 villages and towns of Chinese; 6 border districts of Ha Giang province signed an agreement with the districts and cities of Chinese; 12/12 Guard Stations of Ha Giang province signed the program “Friendship Station, peaceful border” with equal border posts of China. Mr Nguyen Thanh Tuan, Head of the Thanh Thuy International Border Guard Station at Border Gate, said: “Through the cooperation program with Thien Bao Immigration Border Guard Station (China), from 2012 up to now, we exchanged 1,456 letters, held talks 322 times; political exchange one time; unexpected exchanges 107 times, 144 phone calls, and bilateral checking 31 times; and handed over 384 times/2,693 citizens.

In particular, when the COVID-19 epidemic broke out, people on both borderlands not only coordinated in epidemic prevention, preventing the disease, but also supported medical supplies to prevent the spread of the disease, increasing the friendship between the two countries. In which, Chinese actively supported and donated medical supplies to Ha Giang province in many times for the prevention the COVID-19 epidemic with a total value of more than 42 billion VND (about 1,8 billion USD); while Ha Giang province donates medical supplies to China with 5.000 medical masks/time.

Comprehensive cooperation

Since 1991, Ha Giang has connected and implemented comprehensive cooperation with Yunnan province and Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guangxi province, according to the content of the agreement between the two localities, toward comprehensive cooperation between the two localities.

Currently, Ha Giang actively participates in mechanisms and policies of Government between the two countries. At the same time, coordinating with northern border provinces of Vietnam to establish many effective bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms with Chinese localities, such as: Meeting on New Year occasion between the Secretaries of the 4 provinces: Ha Giang, Lang Son, Quang Ninh and Cao Bang (Vietnam) and the Secretary of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (China); Meeting between the Secretary of the Ha Giang Provincial Party Committee and the Secretary of the Van Son Party Committee; Affiliate Conference between Ha Giang, Lao Cai, Lai Chau and Dien Bien provinces (Vietnam) and Yunnan province (China); Committee Conference on connection  Ha Giang, Lang Son, Quang Ninh, Cao Bang provinces (Vietnam) and Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guangxi Province (China). In the situation of COVID-19 epidemic, localities have flexibly changed the method of exchanging and cooperation from face-to-face to online, carrying out online meetings between the Secretaries of the 4 provinces of Ha Giang, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Dien Bien (Vietnam) with the Secretary of the Yunnan Provincial Party Committee (China) in an online form. In addition, the localities of the two provines also exchange information regularly.

Through the above mechanism, cooperation between Ha Giang and China has made comprehensive achievements in all fields, prominently border management: Strictly implementing legal documents on the border, maintaining meeting online, coordinating in preventing crime and illegal immigration. About economic, border gates are interested, invested, upgraded to meet the needs of trade cooperation and goods exchange of businesses and people; some Chinese enterprises cooperate with Ha Giang province in the fields of mining, hydropower, industrial equipment, electricity consumption, restaurant and hotel business. The total value of export and import turnover from 2015 up to now get 2,548 billion USD. The tourism management agencies of the two sides regularly organize meetings, exchanging, surveys, research and open tours.

In 2019, the first time, Ha Giang province organized Ha Giang tourism promotion Conference in Yunnan province, attracting attention from many Chinese travel businesses. Dong Van Karst Plateau UNESCO Global geopark, Ha Giang province (Vietnam) and Shilin (Stone Forest) tourist area, Yunnan province (China) signed a  cooperation agreement. Especially, implement the agreement on labor management which signed between Ha Giang province and Wenshan Zhuang, Yunnan province and Baisha city, Guangxi. From 2014 to present, Ha Giang province has sent more than 2,000 laborers who are people of border districts to work according to agreements in border districts of Wenshan Zhuang, contributing to reducing the number of freelance workers and seasonal workers in the border area of the two provinces.

Not stopping at the above results, from 2011 to present, the Guangxi government provided Ha Giang province with 158 full scholarships; every year, Ha Giang province also provides 2 full scholarships for students from Baisha city (Guangxi) to study in Vietnam. At the same time, the organization of cultural, artistic and sports exchange activities tightens the friendship between the two localities.

News, photos: BIEN LUAN - THU PHUONG - LE HAI