Vietnam Eyes High-Speed Rail To China By 2030 Amidst Diplomatic Thaw And South China Sea Tensions

Vietnam plans to start building two high-speed railway lines to connect its capital Hanoi with China by 2030.

The announcement from the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment coincides with recent warming of ties between the two communist-ruled neighbours.

One of the planned high-speed lines will connect Vietnam's port cities of Haiphong and Quang Ninh through Hanoi to Lao Cai province, which shares a border with China's Yunan province.

The second line will run from Hanoi to Lang Son province, which borders China's Guangxi region, passing through an area with many global manufacturing facilities, some of which are owned by Chinese investors.

Additionally, Vietnam is also planning a huge high-speed railway line between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the country's business hub.

China, Vietnam's largest trading partner, has been engaged in a prolonged maritime dispute in the South China Sea with its southern neighbour.

The South China Sea contains the Paracel and Spratly Islands, referred to as the Hoang Sa and Trong Sa islands in Vietnam. This region, a crucial global maritime route, is largely claimed by China, though Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Brunei also assert claims.

Despite this, recent developments suggest a reduction in tensions, as Beijing has warmly received several leaders from Vietnam this week, as it moves to shore up cooperation with regional players that keep the US at arm's length.

As part of this initiative, Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue met with executives from Chinese railway companies on Monday during his ongoing visit to Beijing, where he was welcomed by President Xi Jinping.

Earlier this month, Vietnam expressed its intention to draw lessons from China in establishing its inaugural high-speed railway network and had sent its officials to work with Chinese railway companies.