China News Service reported from Pingxiang, Guangxi, on 18 October 2026 that the Chinese section of the China-Vietnam smart port on the Youyiguan (Friendship Pass) - Youyi freight corridor has completed trial runs with real orders, real vehicles and real cargo and now meets the conditions for traffic. Zhu Houdong, deputy commander of the project's construction headquarters, said on 17 October that the Vietnamese supporting works are expected to be completed and put into operation in October 2027.
According to Zhu, once the full line is in use, goods will be able to travel from Nanning to Hanoi within 24 hours, and daily clearance capacity will exceed 4,000 vehicle crossings. The project focuses on fewer documents, fewer steps and less manual work, using driverless lanes, an intelligent dispatch platform and an AI rapid inspection system so that driverless vehicles can move containers on their own. The smart port will run in parallel with the existing conventional port.
Youyiguan is a key node on the New Western Land-Sea Corridor. From January to August 2026, imports and exports through the Youyiguan port totalled 513.6 billion yuan, up 31.2% year on year. ASEAN fresh fruit such as durian, dragon fruit and jackfruit enters China through the port, while Chinese electronic components and daily consumer goods are sold to ASEAN markets.
Chang Peng, deputy director of Youyiguan Customs, said advanced inspection equipment and AI image recognition mean drivers no longer need to run between yards, and overall clearance efficiency has risen by 40%. Liu Dewen of the Youyiguan border inspection station said that since January 2026 the fast clearance system has covered Vietnamese drivers and driverless vehicles, cutting per-vehicle verification from one minute to 15 seconds, and longer validity periods for driver documents have further lowered cross-border freight costs.