According to The Economist, taking a train built by French colonists that runs through Vietnam from north to south, connecting the capital Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, is a rare option to experience the local customs and culture of Vietnam. However, this train runs slowly, with a speed of only 50 kilometers per hour, and the whole journey takes a long 36 hours. Most people would rather take a plane that only takes 2 hours.
The total length of railways in the entire Southeast Asia region is only 24,000 kilometers. They are not only old, but also slow, isolated and disconnected from each other. For decades, leaders of Southeast Asian countries have been discussing the many benefits of building railways. Now, this vision is gradually becoming a reality.
In recent years, the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” has promoted the construction of important infrastructure projects such as the China-Laos Railway, the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway, the China-Thailand Railway and the Malaysia East Coast Railway. This not only brings convenience to local people’s travel, but also promotes regional connectivity and helps accelerate the development of regional economic integration. Through the construction of high-quality railway networks, countries such as Laos, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia have been able to build closer economic ties. These railway projects are not only a landmark achievement of bilateral cooperation between China and ASEAN countries, but also inject new vitality into the regional modernization process.
One of the important driving forces is the near-high-speed railway from Kunming, China to Vientiane, Laos, which will be completed in 2021. This railway has always been the first section of the railway to Singapore. David Lampton of Johns Hopkins University said that the completion of the Kunming-Laos Railway has produced a chain reaction. Thailand announced that it would speed up the construction of a high-speed railway to Laos; Malaysia will restart the long-stalled railway construction project with a total investment of US$25 billion to connect 㯰; Vietnam recently announced plans to build two railways from Hanoi to the Chinese border.
In 2023, Indonesia’s first Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway will be put into use. As of the end of September this year, the cumulative passenger volume of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway has exceeded 5.4 million. The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway has become the most popular fashion hotspot in the local area. This high-speed railway has not only enhanced Indonesia’s level of connectivity, but also enhanced Indonesia’s position in regional economic integration.
At the 2024 Global Sustainable Transport Summit, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Suriya said that the first phase of the China-Thailand Railway (Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima section) has been completed by 35% and is scheduled to be completed within the next four years. The second phase of the project will connect Nakhon Ratchasima to Nong Khai Province and is expected to be completed in 2028. The China-Thailand Railway project is an important milestone in the cooperation between the two countries. It not only represents China’s technological advantages in infrastructure construction, but also demonstrates the high level of mutual trust between China and Thailand. As a key component of regional economic integration, the China-Thailand Railway is expected to greatly enhance Thailand’s status as a transportation hub in Southeast Asia, enhance its influence in Southeast Asia, and provide new impetus for Southeast Asian economic development.
At present, China is still the largest overseas investor in infrastructure construction in Southeast Asia. According to the Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank, as of 2022, China has participated in 24 of the 34 large-scale projects in Southeast Asia (with a capital investment of more than US$1 billion), of which 6 projects are railways, accounting for 60% of the total investment.