On August 8, track-laying for the Fangdong Railway which will link the Guangxi cities of Fangchenggang and Dongxing and represent China"s first direct high-speed train linking the China-Vietnam border commenced. The railway track length is expected to stretch about 106.7 kilometers and features eight tunnels and 32 bridges. The track-laying is scheduled to be completed by the end of September this year. Once completed and put into operation, the railway will cut travel time between the two places from 60 minutes to about 20 minutes and will link Dongxing, a border port city, to the country's high-speed railway network.

Meanwhile, the transfer distance from China's high-speed railway network to Vietnam's Van Don-Mong Cai expressway will be shortened to 5 kilometers. Thus, the high-speed railway corridor will make travel between the Beibu Gulf economic zone and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and ASEAN markets easier and faster and will play a positive role in promoting economic and trade exchanges between them. (Bo)