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Mahesh

29/06/24 05:24 AM IST

China plans to run trains from Kunming all the way to Singapore

In News
  • Chinese Premier Li Qiang said China was willing to study a plan to connect its railway projects in the Southeast Asian countries of Malaysia, Laos, and Thailand for “enhancing regional connectivity”.
 Malaysia’s East Coast Rail Link (ECRL)
  • The 665-km-long ECRL will connect Kota Bharu on the Kelantan river, close to Malaysia’s northeastern coast with Port Klang on the strategically important Strait of Malacca on the country’s west coast.
  • The massive investment in the project is expected to bring enormous economic benefits through improved connectivity, including the movement of freight, and tourism. 
  • Work on the ECRL began in 2017, but suffered due to funding constraints, and remained stalled for several years. It is now expected to be completed by 2027.
Pan-Asian rial network
  • Infrastructure projects to link Southeast Asian countries have been proposed in the past, including during European colonial rule in the region.
  • More recently, the pan-Asian rail network was conceptualised in the form of three links — a western line from Kunming via Myanmar and Thailand; a central line via Laos and Thailand; and an eastern line via Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand.
  • Another line would connect Thailand’s capital Bangkok with Malaysia and Singapore.
  • The latter is one of the most developed countries in the region, with around 30% of global trade passing through the global shipping choke point at which the city state sits.
Challenges
  • Like Malaysia, Thailand has also faced problems of high costs and the government’s wariness about taking assistance from China.
  • In January this year, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi asked Thailand to increase the pace of its work, which is expected to be completed in 2028 but may be delayed.
  • Doubts have been expressed over the projections of the economic gains from the project.
  • The width of the railway tracks across these countries vary, making seamless transportation of cargo challenging.
  • There are concerns over demand as well.
  • Most people travelling from Kunming to Singapore would still prefer to fly, which will remain cheaper and faster.
  • Likewise, cargo shuttled between the two destinations would be cheaper if transported first to the coast and then by boat to Singapore. Most studies have found that a pan-Asian rail system would complement maritime shipping rather than compete with it.
China's Interest in Regional Connectivity
  • With the BRI, these ties can be further strengthened.
  • China has emerged as a provider of loans for infrastructure projects in countries that have historically lacked them, the apprehensions in many countries about the terms of the financing notwithstanding.
  • China’s aggressive moves and territorial claims in the South China Sea have made many countries in the region nervous, and Beijing hopes to leverage economic ties built through infra investments to develop goodwill and trust.
  • China has rejected accusations of practising “debt trap diplomacy”, which involves providing loans at high interest rates, and then seizing control of strategic assets when the debtor countries fail to pay back.
Source- Indian Express

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