Located in the center of the Central South Peninsula, Thailand is an important part of the Silk Road Economic Belt and is vital for the Maritime Silk Road, making it an important partner in building the Belt and Road.

The trains in Ayutthaya are a century-old meter gauge trunk line with an average speed of about 60 kilometers per hour. It takes over ten hours to travel from the north to the Ayutthaya station with distance of 800 kilometers. Therefore, most passengers are travelers and students who come home from school during weekends. The old train ride feels bumpy and the equipment on the car is relatively simple.

The Sino-Thai Railway is the first standard high-speed railway located in northeastern Thailand, linking Nong Khai, a northern border city of Thailand to the capital of Bangkok and Port of Malta, with a total length of approximately 845 kilometers. The first phase of the project with length of 252.3 kilometers and design speed of 250 kilometers per hour started in Nakhon Ratchasima on Dec 21, 2017.

Sino-Thai Railway construction site [Photo/enorth.com.cn]

In addition to railway construction, China has also helped Thailand with railway high-end worker training. On July 20, 2018, the third phase of the Luban Workshop in Ayutthaya was officially launched, the first high-speed rail technical skill training center established by China overseas. Co-established by Tianjin Railway Technical and Vocational College and the Thai Metropolitan Technical College, the first two majors, namely, high-speed train EMU maintenance technology and automatic control of railway signals will officially enroll students in October 2018. The establishment of the Luban Workshop Iron Court Center aims to strengthen the Belt and Road Initiative and reserve technical talents for the construction of the Sino-Thai Railway.

Luban Workshop [Photo/enorth.com.cn]

China's cooperation with Thailand is also witnessed in many other areas. Thai-Chinese Rayong Industrial Zone is an industrial center and manufacture & export base in Thailand for Chinese traditional industry co-built by the two countries. With the advantages of convenient transportation and perfect infrastructure facility, the zone has attracted more than 100 Chinese enterprises specializing in auto parts, machinery and home appliances to set up factories in the park, filling gaps in industries. Up to now, the zone has received in investment of $2.5 billion and accumulated sales of more than $8 billion, creating tax of $120 million for local government and 20,000 jobs for local people.

Thai-Chinese Rayong Industrial Zone [Photo/enorth.com.cn]

This year, SinoHydro foundation engineering Co.,ltd Thailand Project Department won the bid for the Bangkok South Substation project, making new strides to downtown Bangkok. Adhering to the development concept of "building a win-win situation", Chinese companies are seeing broader development space in Thailand. Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha once said that the Belt and Road Initiative strengthened ties among ASEAN, Asia, Africa and Europe, in various areas such as policy, trade, and finance. Take the Chinese plan and practice the road. China is embracing the world under the Belt and Road Initiative with its speed, quality and facility. The program brings China's development achievements to countries along the route.