Thailand the latest to grab China’s high-speed line to prosperity   

One after another, Southeast Asian countries are joining hands with China to build high-speed railways. The latest is a 688-kilometre rail line along the east coast of Malaysia, for which ground was broken on August 10. Last week, reports emerged that China and Thailand will sign a contract on a railway project linking Kunming, capital of southwest China’s Yunnan province, and Bangkok during Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s visit to Beijing next month. Work on the project is expected to start in October.
Elsewhere, Chinese companies are already building the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway in Indonesia, and another to link China and Laos. And both Malaysia and Singapore have invited Chinese companies to bid for a high-speed rail link between the two countries.
These projects are like silk threads connecting China and Southeast Asian countries, and the best testimony to the progress of the Belt and Road Initiative in Southeast Asia.
A key part of the Belt and Road Initiative is interconnectivity of roads, and building or improving existing cross-border transportation networks is a prerequisite for closer regional cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.
Unfortunately, many Southeast Asian countries still lag behind in terms of modern transportation infrastructure, which has hindered their economic development. Take Thailand for example. With a population of less than 70 million, Thailand received about 40 million tourists last year, of which a quarter were from China. Yet only one train plies the route between Bangkok and Pattaya, two of the country’s most popular destinations, from Monday to Friday. Moreover, the trains often take three to four hours to cover a distance that could be negotiated in an hour by a high-speed train. This lack of modern facilities is preventing Thailand from fulfilling its development potential.
In comparison, China has been developing its transport infrastructure for decades. By last year, China had high-speed trains running across 22,000 kilometres, accounting for more than 65 per cent of the world total. High-speed trains have not only made travelling more convenient and comfortable, but also earned international praise as one of  “four new great inventions” of China.
Southeast Asian countries, like China, have huge populations that need to frequently travel from one place to another, yet they have comparatively small budgets for transportation infrastructure – which would be more wisely directed to building high-speed railways.
This where China can help, with its mature high-speed train technology and rich experience. More importantly, the cooperation between China and its neighbours in building the infrastructure will be mutually beneficial.
After 20 years of developing the sector, Beijing today holds the intellectual property rights for its high-speed railway, and has established technological standards that would suit other developing countries equally well.
By 2030, China expects to be running 16 high-speed train lines for a comprehensive domestic network. By that time, Chinese companies will have more time, energy and resources at their disposal to help Southeast Asian neighbours build their own fast rail networks.
 Efficient high-speed railways will not only improve Southeast Asia’s transportation infrastructure, but also help cultivate more engineering talent and thus boost the region’s economies. And after Southeast Asian countries are connected with one another through high-speed railways, the region’s economic integration will intensify.
The Belt and Road Initiative has created new opportunities for China and Southeast Asian countries to work together, for instance, through high-speed railway construction.

Zheng Anguang is an associate professor at the School of International Relations at Nanjing University.