BEIJING - China's State Council has approved Pingxiang, a city of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on the border with Vietnam, to be a new opening-up pilot zone, a statement said on Friday.

The plan for the new zone will be published by the National Development and Reform Commission, the top economic planner, according to the cabinet website.

Pingxiang is Guangxi's second "key pilot zone for development and opening-up" after Dongxing, approved in August 2012.

Southwestern Yunnan Province's Mengla bordering Laos, and Ruili, a major border crossing between China and Myanmar, as well as northern Inner Mongolia's Manzhouli city and northeastern Heilongjiang Province's Suifenhe-Dongning zone in the neighborhood of Russia, are also on the pilot zone list.

The pilot zones were expected to play a positive role in promoting the Belt and Road Initiative, boosting opening-up and facilitating the mutually beneficial cooperation with neighboring countries.