China-Thailand Railway to accelerate regional connectivity

The first continuous beam was closed in the first phase of the China-Thailand Railway in October, marking a further step to the completion of the railway.

The railway, divided into two phases, will first link Thai capital Bangkok with Nakhon Ratchasima Province and then link Nakhon Ratchasima Province with Nong Khai City, in northeast Thailand on the border with Laos, thus connecting with the China-Laos railway in an artery railway linking Thailand, Laos and China.

This April, the second phase of the railway was approved by the State Railway of Thailand with a total investment of 341.35 billion baht (roughly $10 billion).

With a length of 845 kilometers, the railway is known as the country's first standard-gauge high-speed railway. It's part of China's plan for a network of links across Southeast Asia that had its starting point in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on railway cooperation signed by the Chinese and Thai governments in 2014.

Both Thailand and China have promised continued efforts to accelerate the construction of the railway. Though the first phase of the railway project has been held back due to an issue regarding the proximity in distance between a station site and a UNESCO World Heritage site, Thailand's deputy transport minister Surapong Piyachote said in early September that the railway project will be built according to the original plan and there will be no further delays.

In late September, Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit announced that the first phase of the railway, connecting Bangkok with Nakhon Ratchasima Province, will be completed by 2028 and is already 35 percent finished at the Global Sustainable Transport Forum 2024 in Beijing.

At the forum, Suriya hopes the second phase of the railway will begin next year, marking the 50th anniversary of Thailand and China's diplomatic ties.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China is willing to accelerate the construction of the China-Thailand railway and other major projects during his meeting with Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod in June. 

In October, Chinese Premier Li Qiang once again said China is ready to work with Thailand to accelerate the construction of the railway during his meeting with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on the sidelines of the leaders' meetings on East Asia cooperation held in Vientiane.

With both sides' efforts, completion of the railway project is within sight. The railway is widely expected to not only inject vitality into economic development of regions along the line in Thailand, but also strengthens the trans-Asian railway network and promote regional connectivity.

Chinese Ambassador to Thailand Han Zhiqiang told China Media Group that the railway provides a more efficient and convenient mode of transportation between Thailand and the great market of China.

Data from the General Administration of Customs showed bilateral trade between the two countries in 2023 reached 887.43 billion yuan (roughly $124 billion)  in 2023, up 0.2 percent year on year.

China continued to be Thailand's largest trading partner for 11th consecutive year and its largest agricultural export market, of which tropical fruits alone reached $5.8 billion, accounting for 90 percent of Thailand's fruit exports, Han said in January.

Besides, since March 2024, the visa exemption agreement between China and Thailand has come into effect, the number of cross-border tourists from the two countries has continued to grow, further heating up the demand for passenger travel.

Noting the China-Thailand Railway connects the China-Laos Railway in the north, Han said it will directly connect with China's railway network and then further connect with China-Europe Railway.

"That's why people will call it the Trans-Asian Railway in the future, which is a major transportation artery from Southeast Asia to Europe through Thailand, Laos and China," Han added.

Zhao Gancheng, a research fellow from the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, noticed that the China-Thailand Railway, once completed, will closely connect China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. 

Admitting it's necessary to complete building the railway, Han said it's also necessary to further improve the economic development along the railway through bilateral and multilateral cooperation, so as to truly make this transportation artery a road of development and happiness for the benefit of people of all countries along it.