Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – The Lao Cai Provincial Border Guard Command of Vietnam and the Honghe Border Management Detachment of Yunnan Province, China, recently jointly conducted a joint exercise themed "Joint Shield No. 1 – Honghe 2025" to prevent and combat illegal border crossings.
This exercise was based on the experience gained from the successful joint counter-terrorism exercises "Honghe No. 1-2015" and "Honghe No. 2-2016" conducted between Vietnam and China.
This activity, of significant political, diplomatic, and defense importance, vividly demonstrates the concrete implementation of the consensus reached between the leaders of the two countries, two parties, two militaries, and the two provinces of Lao Cai and Yunnan. It aims to strengthen comprehensive friendly cooperation, particularly in border management and defense, and combating illegal border crossings; and to contribute to firmly safeguarding territorial sovereignty, maintaining security and order, and building a peaceful, friendly, cooperative, and developing border region.
The exercise included: inspecting suspicious vehicles, joint law enforcement patrols to seal off the border, inspecting areas in the target direction, and apprehending violators; it emphasized the rapid and smooth operation of the cross-border law enforcement cooperation mechanism; and it comprehensively utilized various professional measures to improve the quality and efficiency of border management cooperation. To direct and guide the exercise, both sides established a joint exercise command post and their respective forward command posts, and set up several simulated scenarios related to illegal border crossings.
The simulated scenario was as follows: Following a report from higher authorities, a human smuggling organization, colluding with individuals both inside and outside China, established a criminal gang online, organizing individuals to illegally cross the border from the Hekou border area of China to Lao Cai, Vietnam, with the intention of reaching a third country. Upon receiving the report, the Hekou Border Management Detachment of China communicated with the Lao Cai International Border Crossing Border Post via hotline. Both sides agreed that this was an organized cross-border criminal gang, and the individuals involved were likely to commit illegal activities in the following areas: the area around boundary markers 98-100, the Kim Thanh-Bac Son No. 2 International Land Port area, and the Lao Cai-Hekou International Border Crossing (land) area.
The Honghe Border Management Detachment of China, the Hekou Immigration Inspection Station, and the Lao Cai Provincial Border Guard Command of Vietnam quickly exchanged information and information. Both sides immediately activated their cross-border law enforcement cooperation mechanism, establishing a joint command post in Hekou Town, Hekou County, Yunnan Province, China, and forward command posts on their respective sides. They mobilized elite forces and equipment to pursue and apprehend individuals attempting to illegally cross the border. Moving forward, both sides will continue to cooperate, strengthen evidence collection and consolidation, investigate and clarify the details of the cases, completely dismantle the criminal chain organizing illegal border crossings, and maintain security and order in the border area.
The exercise was a success, fully demonstrating the firm resolve and strong capabilities of both sides in combating cross-border crime, jointly maintaining regional security and stability, and effectively deterring cross-border criminals. It also creates a stable environment for deepening the development strategies of both countries and actively building a China-Vietnam community with a shared future.
Ngo Phuc, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Lao Cai Province, emphasized that the exercise was meticulously planned and highly realistic, showcasing the high level of competence, strong sense of responsibility, collaborative combat capabilities, and rapid and flexible situation-handling abilities of both sides' border guard forces. It conforms to the principles of the Party's foreign policy, national foreign policy, defense diplomacy, and border diplomacy; and respects the independence and sovereignty of all countries.
The results demonstrate that the unity, trust, and friendly cooperation between the border guard forces of both sides are increasingly consolidated and developed. The success of the exercise represents significant progress in cooperation between the border defense and port control forces of both sides, and will help enhance mutual understanding and trust, consolidating the foundation for peace, stability, and development in the region. (End)
