The fourth session of the 15th Nanning Municipal People's Congress is held. [Photo by Li Tianyong/China News Service]

Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, will start construction on the China-ASEAN Cross-border Integrated Industrial Development Cooperation Zone, and strive to be a sci-tech innovation center that faces ASEAN member countries.

The announcement was made by Nanning officials on Feb 13 during the fourth session of the 15th Nanning Municipal People's Congress.

Nanning is the closest capital city in China to ASEAN countries, which makes it a hub city for cooperation.

The total import and export volume of Nanning in 2022 went up by 22.9 percent. During the same period, Nanning Wuxu International Airport utilized 11 international air cargo transportation routes that saw a total throughput of 73,100 metric tons, which is double that of 2021 figures. Airport customs also streamlined its operations so that cargo bound for ASEAN countries were cleared within one hour.

Moreover, the number of cross-border container trains that ran between Nanning and Hanoi in Vietnam in 2022 stood at 265.

Nanning also listed several 100-billion-yuan ($15-billion) industries that will continue to be cultivated at a fast pace. They include new energy vehicles, electronic information, metal and chemical new materials, and aluminum deep processing industries.

In addition, Nanning has attracted a batch of 10-billion-yuan-level projects, such as the Shandong Sun Paper project, which have a total investment of more than 8 billion yuan. The number of newly registered enterprises in the Nanning area of the China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone in 2022 reached 16,400, while the number of new financial institutions that have settled in China-ASEAN Financial City reached 126.

As a frontier for the opening-up and cooperation between China and ASEAN, Nanning has continued to expand its international "friend circle." In 2022, the city inked new international friendship agreements with Bac Ninh and Bac Giang, in Vietnam.

As it stands, the city has established sister-city relationships with 26 overseas cities, and has friendly relationships with another 40 overseas cities.