According to a statement issued by the Chinese government, the two sides will “complete the design of a standard-gauge railway” connecting Hekou in China’s southern Yunnan province with Lao Kai, Vietnam’s capital Hanoi and the port of Hai Phong.

China extended its network to within a few kilometres of the border in December 2014 with the opening of the 142km line from Mengzi to Hekou.

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