Will Thailand’s new PM seek Chinese funding for land bridge? Definitely, maybe

With a new Thai leader in place, speculation is rife over whether she will ask for China’s aid in massive land bridge project

Reading Time:3 minutes

Thailand’s new prime minister may seek Chinese funding for the country’s enormous land bridge project, according to some analysts. Photo: AFP

Published: 8:00am, 25 Aug 2024

New Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra will probably move ahead – albeit carefully – in allowing Chinese investment for a land bridge that would offer a Panama Canal-like short cut for Asian marine shipping, analysts said.

The speculation came as the country’s youngest prime minister – who turned 38 on Wednesday – mentioned the “deep and friendly relationship” between the two countries at her first press conference on August 18, a gesture seen as presaging more cooperation.

Paetongtarn will probably follow her predecessors in strengthening economic ties with Beijing, said Ken Mathis Lohatepanont, a PhD student in political science at the University of Michigan, earlier this month.

The land bridge project, a potential replacement to the shelved Kra canal linking the Andaman Sea with the Gulf of Thailand, got a new drumroll of enthusiasm as it is expected to bolster the southern Thai economy.

When asking for Beijing’s support, Paetongtarn’s predecessor, Srettha Thavisin, literally sketched it out during an October forum in Beijing and posted it on X, formerly Twitter.

A shipping bypass would appeal to China, which now sends vessels through the far-flung, strategically important Malacca Strait. The strait is also the main transport artery for a large share of China’s imports of crude oil from the Middle East and raw materials from Africa. Currently, some 94,000 ships pass through the strait every year or use its 40-plus ports.