China will step up its collaboration with Vietnam in the fight against the drug trade along its southwest border.
An agreement signed between the anti-drug administrators in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in China and Quang Ninh in Vietnam has specified deployments and intelligence exchanges for the collaboration.
The agreement is a regional cooperative project under the East Asia Border Anti-Drug Cooperation set up by the UN's International Narcotics Control Program (INCP) and the national drug control committees of China and Vietnam.
The border area between Guangxi and Quang Ninh is adjacent to the infamous Golden Triangle drug-producing region of Laos, Burmaand Thailand, and is a key smuggling route.
INCP will increase anti-drug operations and investigations inthe area this year, and provide training to local anti-drug police.
(Xinhua News Agency January 14, 2002)
