BEIJING: A Fuxing bullet train replica painted in Thailand’s national colors, which was presented by President Xi Jinping during the 29th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Bangkok in November 2022 and holds pride of place among state gifts at the Thai government house, is on its way to being translated into reality.
The construction of the China-Thailand Railway, a flagship project under the Belt and Road cooperation framework based on the Fuxing bullet train’s advanced technology, has been accelerated over the past two years. It is Thailand’s first standard-gauge high-speed railway project.
In April last year, a freight train carrying durians in 25 refrigerated containers arrived in South China’s Guangdong province, completing its first heavily loaded return trip by rail through Thailand, Laos and China. The train took five days to reach Guangzhou, the provincial capital, from Map Ta Phut in Rayong, Thailand. The transportation time by train was at least a week faster than by ship.
Upon completion, the China-Thailand Railway will be connected to the China-Laos Railway, forming a railroad artery across the Indochina Peninsula and elevating infrastructure connectivity in Southeast Asia.
Pitiwat Angsuviriya, a mechanical engineering student from Thailand’s Khon Kaen University who is currently participating in a study program at Southwest Jiaotong University in Sichuan province, said he found Xi’s visit very inspiring.
“President Xi’s visit to Thailand impresses me even today, given that the trip was made at a time when the whole world had just recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s encouraging that leaders from the APEC member economies gathered in Thailand and joined efforts to further common interests,” he said. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
