Premier Li Keqiang arrives in Bangkok on Dec 19 to attend the fifth Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation summit.[Photo/Xinhua]
China and Thailand cemented joint cooperation on railways on Dec 19, taking a step forward in linking regional transportation under Beijing’s Silk Road initiative.
Premier Li Keqiang and his Thai counterpart Prayut Chan-o-cha officiated at the signing of a long-anticipated rail deal that had been postponed because of political turbulence in Thailand.
Under the agreement, Chinese companies will design and build a high-speed line to ease transportation into and out of Bangkok-the second-largest city in Southeast Asia after Jakarta.
The deal, endorsed by the Thai legislative assembly this month, covers the building of dual-track rail lines designed to carry trains running at speeds of 160 to 180 km per hour.
The 734-km project will connect Thailand’s Nong Khai province with Bangkok. A 133-km branch line will be built to the eastern province of Rayong.
Thai Transport Minister Prajin Juntong has said that construction research for the lines is expected to start in January or February.
Li, who arrived in Bangkok on Dec 19 on the last leg of a three-nation visit, told Chinese and Thai media that the deal on Dec 19 reaffirms agreements signed last year during his visit to Bangkok.
China has rich experience in high-speed rail construction, and the new lines will improve local infrastructure, help Thai exports and offer a new route for Chinese tourists, Li said.
Huang Bin, a China expert at the Kasikorn Research Center, a Thai think tank, said the new lines will link with the planned China-Laos railway and will have a high economic return.
“They will offer a new channel for bilateral trade and also help to form a potentially lucrative tourist route starting in Yunnan province and going on to Vientiane in Laos and Bangkok,” he said.
Yang Yong, who is in charge of the China-Thailand rail project at China Railway Corp, said that when Chinese rail lines are connected to those in ASEAN countries, “remarkable economic growth” will be fueled for the regions involved.