Indonesia, April 21 -- and increasingly automated.

Friendship Pass, one of the largest and most efficient land border crossings between China and Vietnam, is undergoing a high-tech overhaul. The site is being transformed into China's first cross-border smart port, with the Chinese section scheduled to commence pilot operations later this year.

Roughly 1,500 vehicles now pass through the port each day. Once the upgrade is completed on both sides, clearance capacity is expected to multiply, strengthening trade links between China and ASEAN and deepening regional economic integration.

For Vietnamese truck driver Nguyen, the changes are already evident. "I just roll down my window for fingerprint and facial scans - the process typically ta...