Editor's note: Gao Lei, a special commentator for CGTN, is an associate professor at the Center for Xi Jinping Thoughts on Opening-up, Research Institute of Globalization and China's Modernization, University of International Business and Economics. Xia Lu, a special commentator for CGTN, is an associate professor at the National Academy for Development and Strategy, the Academy of Xi Jinping Thoughts on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Renmin University of China. The article reflects the authors' opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

Right after his state visit to Vietnam and on his way back to Beijing, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee,, paid an inspection tour to Nanning, the capital city of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region bordering Vietnam. He particularly paid a visit to the China-ASEAN Information Harbor Co., Ltd.to review the progress of China-ASEAN economic and trade cooperation as well as the informational infrastructure and its application, signaling that the current Chinese leadership values Guangxi's significant role in China's opening to the outside world.

Actually, Xi has been very busy this week. Early this week, during the Central Economic Work Conference, the Party's annual retrospective and prospective decision-making body in terms of national financial and macro-economic policies, Xi delivered a keynote speech and highlighted the significance of the comprehensive opening-up policies which had provided China with great opportunities to catch up with the industrialization and modernization in the last decades of 20th century. Then in the middle of the week, Xi paid a state visit to Vietnam, with abundant achievement in bilateral relations including working together to build a China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance on the basis of deepening the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries and two parties. In addition, a joint statement has been made, aiming at deepening practical cooperation, implementing the Belt and Road Initiative, promoting cross-border standard railway connectivity, accelerating the docking of infrastructure construction in border areas, running economic and trade cooperation zones, and strengthening investment cooperation in agriculture, infrastructure, energy, digital economy, green development and other fields. As the only Chinese provincial-level region that shares both land borders and maritime boundaries with Vietnam, Guangxi has been designated a great role in almost all the above-mentioned fields.

In fact, the Chinese leadership has been revaluing the important role of Guangxi since China entered the new era in 2017 (with the conclusion of the 19th National Congress of the CPC as the mark). Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, Xi personally inspected Guangxi three times, delivered important speeches, and made important instructions on Guangxi's development and governance on many occasions.

Particularly, during the sessions of the 20th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi joined group discussions with delegates from the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and delivered important speeches to the delegation, putting forward the important requirements of "five firm grasps" for the study and implement the principles of the 20th Congress and the "five greater" important requirements for the strategic, directional and overall work related to the long-term development of Guangxi, encouraging greater achievements in promoting the high-quality development of border ethnic areas, making greater breakthroughs in serving and integrating into the new development pattern, achieving greater progress in promoting green development, and making greater contributions to safeguarding national security. It could be reasonably argued that the Party leadership has pointed out a clear and sound direction of progress and provided fundamental guidance for the development of Guangxi in the new era.

With Xi's directing and guiding, Guangxi has been designated a great mission of  "three major functions" — to build an international channel for ASEAN, to create a new strategic buttress for the opening up and development of the southwestern, central, and southern China, and to form an important gateway for the effective connectivity of the Belt and Road Initiative. With these aims in mind, Guangxi has been making greater breakthroughs in serving and integrating into the new development pattern.

It has led high-quality development with high-level opening-up, actively serves high-quality BRI cooperation, and builds a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future. Guided by the high-level joint development of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor in western China, Guangxi has accelerated the development of a strong transportation area and continues to open up the "main arteries" and smooth the micro-circulation. The construction of the Pinglu Canal has been accelerated in an all-round way, creating an admirable so-called Pinglu Canal speed; the official start of construction of the railway connecting Huangtong of Guizhou Province and Baise City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region will quickly form a backbone channel with the shortest transportation distance between Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou and Guizhou to the Beibu Gulf (Tonkin Gulf) Port and ASEAN.

Guangxi has worked closely together with ASEAN, integrated with the Greater Bay Area, and aspired to make key breakthroughs in the region's opening cause. The 20th China-ASEAN Expo and the 20th China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit were successfully held, helping push forward the China-ASEAN cooperation. Guided by institutional opening-up, the region has also accelerated the creation of convenient places for domestic and international dual-cycle market operations, accelerating the construction of major open platforms such as the China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone, the China-ASEAN Information Harbor, and the ASEAN-oriented financial portal, and promoting the release of policy superposition and agglomeration effects.

The development potential of Guangxi lies in China's opening up, and its future will also be closely linked to the country's opening up. It is hoped that Guangxi will make greater breakthroughs in serving and integrating into the new development pattern.

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