China， Thailand Inaugurate Construction of High—Speed Railway in Thailand

Thailand and China jointly inaugurated the construction of Thailand's first high-speed railway from Bangkok to the northeastern Thai province of Nakhon Ratchasima on Dec. 21， 2017. Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha attended the ceremony. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang sent a congratulatory message on the launch of the project.

Premier Li said in his message that the China-Thailand high-speed railway is a flagship project in jointly realizing the Belt and Road Initiative in the spirit of "wide consultation， joint construction and shared benefits." He said the project will contribute to infrastructure development and enhance connectivity in Thailand as well as the region as a whole. He hoped both sides could cooperate to complete the first phase and push forward with the second phase of the project， as well as connect the cross-border railway with the China-Laos railway as soon as possible.

Prayut said the Thailand-China high-speed railway will connect Thailand with other countries and help Thailand merge into the grand transport network under the Belt and Road Initiative. It will also help the kingdom become a regional transport and logistics hub. Prayut emphasized that Thailand will work with the Chinese side to move the project forward in a bid to realize sustainable development.

The 253-kilometer first phase of the railway links Bangkok with Nakhon Ratchasima province. China is responsible for design of the railway， supervision of construction and manufacturing of trains and signal systems， among other tasks. Once completed， the railway with a maximum speed of 250 kilometers per-hour will be Thailand's first high-speed railway.

The planned second phase of the project will link Nakhon Ratchasima with Nong Khai on the border with Laos， which connects with the China-Laos railway in an artery railway linking Thailand， Laos and China.