Bridge to connect China, Vietnam

China has approved a new bridge to be built across its border river with Vietnam, a move to further boost the border trade of the two countries, local authorities said Thursday. The project application about the 618-meter-long bridge submitted by the National Development and Reform Commission has been approved by the State Council, said a written statement released by the Dongxing city government in south Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. Connecting Dongxing and the Vietnamese city of Mong Cai, the bridge, Beilun River No.2, will be located three kilometers away from the Beilun River Road Bridge, the one currently used across the river, the statement said. Total cost of the bridge is estimated at 250 million yuan (40 million U.S. dollars), and China will bear 220 million yuan for its own section, it said. Construction of the bridge will start after the project is approved by the Vietnamese government. Dongxing is an important port for trade between China and countries from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The current bridge, 10 meters wide and built in the 1960s, serves as the only passway for people, vehicles and cargo and has become inadequate for the development of bilateral trade and tourism. Upon completion of the new bridge, customs clearance of people and cargo will be separated through the two bridges, according to the statement.