China, Vietnam initiate joint action to crack down on illegal immigration

China and Vietnam on Tuesday initiated a joint action to crack down on illegal immigration in Nanning, the capital city of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The two sides vowed to build practical cooperation for cross-border security and stability.

Chinese officials said that the special action follows the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and will be very concrete.

"We will strengthen cooperation in communication and information exchange, extend joint actions against illegal immigration, and crack down cross-border outlaws to maintain national security and border stability on both sides," said Chi Jingyang, director of Immigration Inspection and Management Department of the National Immigration Administration.

China's continuous opening-up has led to increased inflows and trading, providing opportunities for lawbreakers to sneak into southwestern regions through socioeconomic activities.

To further enhance cooperation between law enforcement bodies, China's National Immigration Administration (NIA) signed an action plan on illegal immigration crackdown with Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security.

According to the action plan, the two sides will strengthen cooperation on crime information sharing, identification verification and repatriation of illegal immigrants, joint law enforcement, arrest of illegal immigrants, and border control, so as to deter and crackdown on cross-border smuggling gangs.