Fangchenggang-Dongxing railway in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Photo: Courtesy of China State Railway Group Co

The Fangdong Railway, which links Fangchenggang and Dongxing in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, will become operational on Wednesday, connecting Dongxing city at the China-Vietnam border to China's national railway network, the state railway operator said on Tuesday.

The railway covers a stretch of 47 kilometers and has a designed speed of 200 kilometers per hour. The railway is a dual-purpose line that handles both passenger and freight transportation.

The railway, which began construction in March 2019, will cut travel time between the two cities from one hour to just 19 minutes.

The operation of the railway will optimize the railway network in the Beibu Gulf economic zone, and boost trade and tourism activities in the border area, playing a significant role in the connectivity of Belt and Road Initiative, according to the company.

The Fangdong railway entered trial operation on December 2.

The railway's operation came as China and Vietnam agreed to further cooperation on a number of rail projects along the border, including accelerating the construction of standard-gauge railway Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong, and stepping up research on Dong Dang standard-gauge railway line, connecting Hanoi, Mong Cai, Ha Long and Hai Phong.

Sun Zhang, a railway expert from Shanghai Tongji University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the addition of the Fangdong railway will further boost China's trade with neighboring ASEAN countries and further tapping the benefits brought by the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade pact, providing a boost in trade amid some countries' anti-globalization headwinds.

The enhanced connectivity in the Beibu Gulf economic zone will grant China's hinterland provinces in the southwestern part of the country, including Guizhou and Yunnan provinces, access to cost-effective seaborne trade, Sun said.

In the first 11 months of this year, China's trade with ASEAN countries topped 5.8 trillion yuan ($811.64 billion), up 0.1 percent year-on-year, customs data showed in earlier December. The country's trade volume with ASEAN accounted for 15.3 percent of China's total foreign trade.

An official delegation from the Vietnamese railway bureau visited China's National Railway Administration and toured CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co last week, studying bullet trains with top speeds of 350 kilometers per hour and 160 kilometers per hour, and expressing a desire for the company to take part in the drafting of feasibility study reports for railway and High-speed railway (HSR) projects in Vietnam, according to a statement sent to the Global Times by the train maker on Tuesday.

Multiple sections of high-speed rail have been added to China's HSR network, the world's longest rail network, in recent days.

A 142-km-long section that connects Shantou and Shanwei in South China's Guangdong Province and a 261-km-long section connecting Chengdu and Yibin in Southwest China's Sichuan Province were put into operation on Tuesday.

Another section stretching 92 kilometers in western part of Fujian Province in East China were added to China's HSR network on the same day.