Kim Thành International Border Gate No 2 in Lao Cai province. Lao Cai has proposed the development of a cross-border e-commerce zone or a free trade zone to promote trade with China. (Source: VNA)

In a proposal sent to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), the provincial Department of Industry and Trade urged the early submission of the project to create a commercial hub connecting economic and trade with the Southwest region of China for approval.

Lao Cai is also looking for the Government’s approval to develop a regional ASEAN-China logistics centre in the province.

The MoIT said that it has already discussed with the Chinese side how to operate models such as a free trade zone and a cross-border e-commerce zone and will be reporting back to Lao Cai province.

The ministry also urged Lao Cai to learn from the experience of building a smart border gate of Lang Son province.

The provincial Department of Industry and Trade said that China is developing an e-commerce zone with a total investment of 525 million USD in Hekou to promote trade and logistics.