Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha hosted a reception for Lou Qiliang, President of China Railway Signal & Communication Co., Ltd. (CRSC), in Hanoi on the afternoon of December 17.

The meeting saw the host and guest agreeing to engage in the deepening and elevation of the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and the building of a Vietnam-China community of shared future that carries strategic significance. This, they said, provides a solid foundation for Vietnamese and Chinese businesses to implement agreements and cooperative projects, including those in the railway sector, ensuring mutual benefits for the groups and their nations.

The Deputy Prime Minister expressed his hope that the CRSC and other leading Chinese railway companies would collaborate closely with Vietnamese firms and partners to develop Vietnam’s railway industry meeting the demands of the upcoming development phase.

The task for the Vietnamese sector is to adopt and master modern technologies across the stages from research and design to construction, operation, and management, Ha said. He called on the CRSC to support and transfer technology to the Vietnam Railway Corporation (VNR) and other Vietnamese enterprises to achieve this goal in implementing key strategic railway projects between the two countries as well as its urban and high-speed rail systems. The Chinese corporation was also encouraged to share its expertise and give technical consultancy to Vietnam’s railway authorities in developing regulations, standards, and a legal framework for the sector.

In the immediate term, the Deputy PM proposed that the CRSC coordinate with Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport, relevant sectors, and businesses to study and carry out three strategic railway projects connecting Vietnam and China as agreed upon by the two countries’ high-ranking leaders as well as other urban railway projects in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

For his part, Lou Qiliang highlighted the corporation’s interest in building new railway lines and improving the signaling systems of segments along the North-South railway in Vietnam. The CRSC is also eager to collaborate and supply the Vietnamese side with safe, high-quality, technologically advanced railway solutions at competitive prices.

Lou said his corporation is also open to investing in suitable forms, sharing its experience, supporting human resource training, collaborating on research and development, and working with Vietnamese partners to run specific projects and programmes in the railway sector, thereby fostering the realisation of shared visions established by Vietnamese and Chinese leaders.

Operating under China’s State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council ཧ(SASAC), the CRSC has so far established its presence across 20 countries and regions./.