BEIJING, April 7 (Xinhua) -- China's State Council on Tuesday announced its approval for Baise, a city of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on the border with Vietnam, to become a new development and opening-up pilot zone.

Building the pilot zone is an important measure to promote the joint construction of the Belt and Road, accelerate border development and opening up, and pursue opening up on all fronts, according to the statement.

The pilot zone will further boost China's cooperation with ASEAN in political, economic, cultural and sci-tech areas and the building of the China-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor, the statement noted.

The new zone will also benefit the country's battle against poverty and promote urban and rural development in the border region, said the statement.

The plan for the pilot zone will be published by the National Development and Reform Commission, the top economic planner, the cabinet said in the online statement.