WORK BEGANon a railway that will allow Chinese high-speed trains to reach the China-Vietnam border on Dec. 18, 2017.

Construction of the 47.6-kilometer railway between Dongxing and Fangchenggang, both in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, will take three years and cost 6.48 billion yuan (US$980 million), according to the municipal government of Fangchenggang.

Trains on the Dongxing-Fangchenggang line will run at speeds up to 250 kilometers perhour. Fangchenggang is already connected with regional capital Nanning by high-speed rail.

Dongxing is located at the China-Vietnam border. Authorities say the line will eventually form part of a trans-Asia railway linking China with Southeast Asian countries.