Thailand to sign rail pact with Laos, China

By The Nation

 

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen (L) waves beside Thailand's Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha as they ride a train during a ceremony to connect the railway line between Cambodia and Thailand in Banteay Meanchey province on April 22, 2019. // AFP

 

THAILAND will sign a memorandum of cooperation with China and Laos for a rail link aimed at fulfilling a regional connectivity ambition, when Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha visits Beijing this week for the second Belt and Road Forum, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

 

Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith will sign the pact with his Laotian counterpart Bounchanh Sinthavong and China’s vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission Hu Zucai on Thursday on the sideline of the forum. 

 

The memorandum will detail the framework for the three countries in relation to the railway network from southern China via Laos to Thailand. 

 

The pact will also cover the construction of a new bridge across the Mekong River linking the Laotian capital with Nong Khai province, Vilawan Mangklatanakul, director of the Foreign Ministry’s International Economic Affairs Department, said.

 

China has invested in and is helping Laos build a 400-kilometre railway track from the China-Laos border to Vientiane. The construction is halfway through, while Thailand’s 3.5km high-speed railway is also making good progress. 

 

Prayut, attending the second Belt and Road Forum from April 25 to 27 in his capacity as Asean chair, will update the forum on the Asean connectivity master plan, Vilawan said. 

 

The junta’s brainchild – the Eastern Economic Corridor – will also be promoted at the forum to lure investors, notably from China, she said, adding that the plan is to transform the Kingdom into a regional supply-chain hub. 

 

China’s President Xi Jinping launched the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013 to link his country with other countries via many infrastructure development projects. 

 

So far, 124 countries and 29 international organisations have signed cooperation pacts on the initiative with China. 

 

The first summit on the initiative was held in 2017, while the second forum this week is expected to conclude with a joint communique to forge cooperation among regional countries. 

 

Prayut is to meet with Chinese President Xi and his counterpart, Premier Li Keqiang, to update them about Thailand's role as Asean chair and other bilateral issues, Vilawan said. 

 

 

Connectivity has emerged as the key element of regional development, and Prayut yesterday joined Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to inaugurate a new railway link on between the two countries at the border towns of Aranyaprathet and Poipet. 

 

The two premiers also witnessed a signing ceremony at a Thai border post before riding together to the Cambodian town of Poipet on a train donated by Thailand. 

 

Hun Sen described their journey as “historic” and thanked Thailand for its efforts “to reconnect  Cambodia and Thailand”.

 

The rail link will also serve as a connection between Laos and is Southeast Asian neighbours, Hun Sen said. 

 

Bilateral trade between Thailand and Cambodia currently stands at $6 billion (Bt190 billion).

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30368163

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-23

Two peas in a pod.

Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima

1 hour ago, webfact said:

China has invested in and is helping Laos build a 400-kilometre railway track from the China-Laos border to Vientiane. The construction is halfway through, while Thailand’s 3.5km high-speed railway is also making good progress. 

Yes, you read it correctly - 3.5km.

This is the railway that was set to open the Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima section in 2021:

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1016957-construction-bids-for-high-speed-train-project-in-coordination-with-china-to-be-completed-in-2018/

19 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima

Yes, you read it correctly - 3.5km.

This is the railway that was set to open the Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima section in 2021:

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1016957-construction-bids-for-high-speed-train-project-in-coordination-with-china-to-be-completed-in-2018/

The  plans  are  going  well , using the latest hi  tech equipment we have..

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The junta’s brainchild – the Eastern Economic Corridor – will also be promoted at the forum to lure investors, notably from China,

It is the the brainchild of the parasite called 'china', junta not capable of brainchilds

And here was I thinking that 'caretaker governments' are not supposed to ... oh well, mai pen rai.

 

2 hours ago, harada said:

Two peas in a pod.

Scary looking at the both of them like that.

Edited April 23, 20197 yr by holy cow cm

Oh for some sort of guided weapon - both with one shot....

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Hun Sen described their journey as “historic” and thanked Thailand for its efforts “to reconnect  Cambodia and Thailand”.

 

Historic ?   More like woefully long overdue. 

Ok but don`t forget the 20.000 B to university people as you promise

I've made a few sarcastic remarks on how P walks away from these gab fests with a bunch of Memorandum of Understanding.

Well he has excelled this time with the Memorandum of Cooperation.

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen (L) waves beside Thailand's Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha as they ride a train during a ceremony to connect the railway line between Cambodia and Thailand

Like peas in a pod, I wonder if they've been swapping election tips!!

5 hours ago, harada said:

Two peas in a pod.

China is nicely fullfilling it's strategic wishes.

What type(s) of strategic wishes is clouded in secrecy, officially, but very clear in reality.

And surely something to be worried about.

Thailand, beware!

5 hours ago, bluesofa said:

 

China's pressure on its silk road, the china technique of transferring its population along with its construction like in Laos and Africa is a Chinese invasion. Intelligent technique of conquering countries with its corrupt leaders.
  Let's wait to see what happens in Thailand, perhaps Prayut will have to recall Big Joke ????

 

Edited April 23, 20197 yr by ICELANDMAN

Rails made in China 

3 minutes ago, MaxLee said:

Rails made in China 

Alstom transfer french tech 

RIP Thailand, drone ant nation direct land express links to here..great.

8 hours ago, webfact said:

The junta’s brainchild – the Eastern Economic Corridor –

Rich beyond comprehension. EEC was promoted by Ahbisit to Japanese automobile manufacturer investors and by Yingluck who emphasized on physical connectivity and linkages to Laos and China. Even Somkid's EEC initiative on being the 'Kitchen to the world' was borrowed from her initiative and her push for investments on automobiles, hard disk drives and electronic products. More like a junta's copycat like all the other economic initiatives. 

30 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

her initiative and her push for investments

Do you mean that "she" thought these up and actually attended meetings to promote them to her fellow pollies?

I predict this going: in a year or so Laos will have spanking new trains, built by China, paid by Laos, Thailand will have 50cm of locally produced rail laid out in Nakhon Nowhere, but they've paid China.

Not bad , the countries under a caretaker Government and this jumped up unelected Prime Minister is off on a spending spree

1 minute ago, DrTuner said:

I predict this going: in a year or so Laos will have spanking new trains, built by China, paid by Laos, Thailand will have 50cm of locally produced rail laid out in Nakhon Nowhere, but they've paid China.

50cm?

I would have said 50m, but there again, I was giving them the benefit of the doubt. You're more realistic than me.

1 hour ago, ICELANDMAN said:

China's pressure on its silk road, the china technique of transferring its population along with its construction like in Laos and Africa is a Chinese invasion. Intelligent technique of conquering countries with its corrupt leaders.
  Let's wait to see what happens in Thailand, perhaps Prayut will have to recall Big Joke ????

 

The Chinese are building their own exclusive city in Thailand inside the EEC. Chinese managers, technicians, workers only. Effectively, Thailand has already surrendered part of its territory to China.

19 minutes ago, GreasyFingers said:

Do you mean that "she" thought these up and actually attended meetings to promote them to her fellow pollies?

Yes at the World Eco Forum. You ought to read more and not trapped in your cocoon. 

3 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Yes at the World Eco Forum. You ought to read more and not trapped in your cocoon. 

But I have a very nice cocoon.

3 minutes ago, GreasyFingers said:

But I have a very nice cocoon.

Think you do. Will help your understanding more if you bother to read BKK Post op-Ed on “infrastructure with China” and information on Ahbisit and Yingluck signing MOUs with China on connectivity. 

2 hours ago, hansnl said:

China is nicely fullfilling it's strategic wishes.

What type(s) of strategic wishes is clouded in secrecy, officially, but very clear in reality.

And surely something to be worried about.

Thailand, beware!

no worries, we are keeping eye on them

8 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Think you do. Will help your understanding more if you bother to read BKK Post op-Ed on “infrastructure with China” and information on Ahbisit and Yingluck signing MOUs with China on connectivity. 

That s**t is all outside my cocoon. A simple philosophy; "if you cannot change it, do not worry about it"

21 minutes ago, zydeco said:

The Chinese are building their own exclusive city in Thailand inside the EEC. Chinese managers, technicians, workers only. Effectively, Thailand has already surrendered part of its territory to China.

annexation of Thailand

We are going to be rich look at my face????