Thailand hopes China-Thailand railway project finalized as soon as possible: PM

The Thai government is committed to the progress of the Thai-Chinese high speed rail project and hopes the project will be finalized as soon as possible, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Thursday.

In a written reply to Chinese media before his departure from Bangkok to attend the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, he mentioned that the second BRF would also see the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) among Thailand, Laos, and China, on the railway between Thailand’s Nongkhai and Vientiane in Laos.

“As the Chinese proverb says, 'Unity Makes Everything a Success', we are pleased that the project has made good progress, and have taken the opportunity to learn more about high-speed railways and related technology,” the prime minister noted.

He also said the railway project is strategically important for infrastructure connectivity and development.

“In addition to creating economic opportunities and encouraging mobility, the project will also be vital in increasing connectivity between China and ASEAN through the China-Laos railway and other economic corridors in the region, namely the North-South Economic Corridor, Northern Economic Corridor, and Eastern Economic Corridor,” he said.