The State Council approved establishing a development and opening-up pilot zone in Baise city, South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, according to a document released on April 7.

The pilot zone will be set up in the western part of Guangxi, bordered by Vietnam, acting as a front line for open cooperation between China and ASEAN members. The pilot zone will help propel the development of the Belt and Road Initiative, speed up development in the border region, and usher in a new pattern of all-around opening-up.

The zone will be conducive to the development of China-ASEAN cooperation in politics, economy, culture, science and China-Indochina Peninsula economic corridor.

The pilot zone will play an active role in China-ASEAN cooperation, especially China-Vietnam cooperation, stepping up the mutual connectivity of infrastructure, beefing up industrial cooperation, structuring a high-quality and open economic system in border regions, propelling poverty alleviation and rural renovation, among others.

The Guangxi authority should strengthen organization of the pilot zone construction, improve related work mechanisms and pin down personnel, as required by the State Council.

Departments of the State Council should undertake tasks in accordance with their respective functions to support the construction of the pilot zone, give preferential guidance to planning, policy-making and fund allocation. Communication and coordination among different departments, insightful investigation and research, and timely experience sum-up are also a must.

The National Development and Reform Commission should step up overall planning and coordination, conduct follow-up analysis, supervision, and inspection on the construction progress, organize periodical summarization and assessment, and report major developments to the State Council in a timely manner.