HANOI -- A four-lane bridge was inaugurated on Wednesday in Vietnam's northern Quang Ninh province, expected to strengthen trade and economic ties with China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

A ceremony to inaugurate the Vietnam-China Bac Luan (Beilun) Bridge II was held in the province's Mong Cai city with the attendance of Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh and Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Hong Xiaoyong.

Addressing the ceremony, Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Nguyen Duc Long said the bridge, which is 154.5 meters long on the Vietnamese side, 463.5 meters long on the Chinese side, and 27.7 meters wide, will help boost bilateral cooperation in various fields, including trade, investment and tourism, between Quang Ninh and Guangxi.

The two sides are preparing for the establishment of a bilateral economic cooperation area at one end of the new bridge, and the connectivity between the Mong Cai border gate economic zone and a development zone in Dongxing, Guangxi, said the Vietnamese official.

Capitalized at 336 billion Vietnamese dong ($14.9 million), Bac Luan II is the biggest arch bridge in Vietnam.