The Belt and Road Initiative, a new driving force for the development of southern Thailand
The southern region of Thailand is located in the northern part of the Malay Peninsula and is an important agricultural, fishery and energy base in Thailand. The southern part of Thailand has a 647-kilometer border with Malaysia, including the four provinces of Songkhla, Satun, Yala, and Tao Gong. Under the framework of the “Belt and Road”, the roads being widened here, the new customs to be completed, the industrial parks waiting to be developed, the planned new ports... let reporters feel the vitality of the development of southern Thailand. At present, China has become Thailand's largest trading partner for five consecutive years, and Southern Thailand and China have a good momentum of mutually beneficial cooperation in fisheries, tourism, rubber and other areas. Benefiting from the “One Belt, One Road” construction, Southern Thailand will become an important stop on the Maritime Silk Road in the 21st century, achieving rapid economic development.
"China has advanced technology and a vast market, and we look forward to more Chinese companies investing in southern Thailand"
Shadao Port is the most important land transportation gateway in southern Thailand. Every day, large trucks with Thai and Malaysian licenses have to wait in line for customs clearance, and people go through customs clearance procedures in an orderly manner at border checkpoints. "In 2017, there were more than 280,000 large trucks entering and leaving the port, an average of 23,700 vehicles per month, and more than 37,000 passenger cars and private cars per month. Customs clearance personnel were approximately 420,000 per month." Say.
"In 2017, the total value of import and export goods at Sadao Port was 333.5 billion baht (1 yuan equals 4.96 baht). Imported goods were mainly electronic equipment and mechanical equipment, and exported goods were mainly rubber, machinery, electronic equipment, and rubber wood. China is Sadao Port is the largest import and export trading country, because many Chinese goods are unloaded in Malaysia and shipped to Thailand. Many export goods are shipped to China after being loaded at Penang Port in Malaysia." Greta said.
At the end of 2014, the Thai government launched an important economic development strategy-the establishment of border special economic zones, aimed at facilitating border trade with ASEAN countries and promoting the economic development of various border areas in Thailand through ASEAN integration. Songkhla is one of the first five border special economic zones. An industrial park is planned in the Songkhla Special Economic Zone, which is close to the Thai-Malaysian border and is an important gateway connecting Thai-Malaysian trade and investment. Pippa, director of the Southern Office of the Thai Industrial Park, showed reporters the blueprint for the development of the special economic zone: The industrial park with an area of 1,069 hectares is 1 km away from Malaysia and 10 km from Sadao County. It will attract fishery, textile, automotive, electronics and rubber industries into the park. . There will also be a new highway connecting Malaysia. In addition, the construction of railways, airports and ports are under planning...
Thailand is the world’s largest producer and exporter of natural rubber, while southern Thailand’s output and exports account for more than 63%. The Thai government has specially built a rubber city in Songkhla to promote the export and processing of rubber and increase the added value of products. The director of the Thai Industrial Park Authority, Wirapong, said that the Rubber City plans to build 70 factories, which will become Thailand’s largest and most complete rubber industrial park and rubber product R&D and production center, with a rubber processing capacity of 200,000 tons per year. Thailand has transformed from an exporter of rubber raw materials to a major rubber processing country in ASEAN. "China is the largest market for Thailand's rubber. Chinese companies have already participated in the processing and R&D of the rubber industry in Southern Thailand. China has advanced technology and a broad market. We look forward to more Chinese companies investing in Southern Thailand." Yin Ka Junsa said.
"Thailand's acceleration of the construction of border special economic zones can link up with the Belt and Road Initiative to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results between the two countries"
After leaving Rubber City, the reporter went to Songkhla Port, the largest deep-water port in Southern Thailand, and saw a busy scene in the port. The port has an annual throughput of 2.1 million tons and a container throughput of more than 200,000 TEUs. Amid the long whistle, a fully loaded freighter set sail from Songkhla Port and will shuttle 4000 kilometers to anchor in Shanghai Port, China. Freight exchange is the most direct manifestation of China-Thailand economic and trade exchanges.
As freight tasks become heavier and heavier, Songkhla Port has been unable to meet the demand. The water depth of Songkhla Port is only 9 meters. Many container ships have to pass through Singapore and then transport to China and other countries in the world. For this reason, Songkhla is planning to build a new deep-water port in Jana District, 40 kilometers south. "After the completion of the new port, trade with China will be more convenient and logistics costs will be greatly reduced. More freighters can depart from Songkhla, and goods can be shipped to southern China ports within 3 days." Dunde said , "The construction of the'Belt and Road' provides a good opportunity for Thailand's economic development. Thailand's acceleration of the construction of border special economic zones can be connected with the'Belt and Road' to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results between the two countries."
“Southern Thailand, especially Songkhla, has been an important transit point of the Maritime Silk Road since ancient times. It was once a place where merchants and merchant ships from China, India, the Netherlands, Portugal and other countries gathered and traded.” Dunde said, “We go further. The development of maritime transport means taking the initiative to connect with the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and looking forward to reaching broader cooperation with China."
At the "Maritime Silk Road" exhibition held in Songkhla, Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Visanu introduced Songkhla's connection with the Maritime Silk Road and the relationship between China and Thailand as a family to thousands of people. Wisanu described the bright prospects of Thailand-China land-based high-speed railway cooperation and maritime Silk Road cooperation, and encouraged to give full play to Songkhla as the modern maritime Silk Road gateway to ASEAN, an important location advantage, and actively participate in the construction of the “Belt and Road”. .
At present, Thailand is actively developing large-scale infrastructure projects, such as the Bangkok Light Rail Project, the Waifu Light Rail Project, the dual-track railway project and the high-speed rail project connecting the northern, central, northeastern and southern regions. In southern Thailand, the government will extend the Bangkok-Hua Hin high-speed rail to Surat Thani and connect it with the coastal road project with a budget of hundreds of billions of baht to develop the development potential of the cities along the high-speed rail. In addition, the Thai government is also formulating a plan for the development of the western coastline to promote the development of southern Thailand. The chairman of Songkhla's administrative agency, Nippong, said that Songkhla's current development goal is to become a manufacturing center and a water, land and air transportation hub, and vigorously promote the construction of regional commodity transportation and distribution centers. The construction of the “Belt and Road” will greatly promote the interconnection of the region.
The Chinese Ambassador to Thailand Lu Jian pointed out that the “Belt and Road” construction will help Thailand give full play to its geographical advantages and accelerate its own development. As the jewel on the Maritime Silk Road, southern Thailand will shine with new brilliance. The two countries can carry out higher-level and higher-quality mutually beneficial cooperation in traditional industries, mid-to-high-end manufacturing, robotics, new energy and other fields.