Kunming-Bangkok Highway boosts regional cooperation

What kind of changes has the Kunming-Bangkok Highway brought to regions along it? our reporters recently came to the Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University in Thailand to “seek a diagnosis and prescription”.

“The Kunming-Bangkok Highway is a road that brings new opportunities to China, Laos and Thailand and all of Southeast Asia. It not only boosts cooperation between China and Thailand, but also drives the development of neighboring countries.” Professor Ukrist Pathmanand, Deputy Director of the Institute of Asian Studies said.

Ukrist told us that in recent years, the Kunming-Bangkok Highway had spurred a tourism boom in northern Thailand with many Chinese tourists driving themselves to Thailand for holiday or sightseeing tours. This has led to the rapid development of the local hotel, retail and other related industries. “The Kunming-Bangkok Highway links Yunnan and northern Thailand, but Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai are not industry clusters and many Thai commodities such as rice and fruits come from central and southern Thailand.” He said that the ties between Kunming and Bangkok were not close enough, but there was great potential to expand bilateral trade, and industrial parks and logistics centers should be set up and commodity production bases built along the Highway to further strengthen the ties between Kunming and Bangkok.

Director Nuanoi Treerat is more concerned with the condition of the Thai section of the Highway. She said that relatively few people in Bangkok drove themselves to Yunnan for sightseeing tours. It takes seven to eight hours to drive from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, which is very demanding on vehicles, so many people in Thailand choose to travel by plane. “Many people in Chiang Rai choose Yunnan as their destination, but Chiang Rai has a population of only over one million, less than one-tenth of the capital Bangkok.” She said that it was imperative to improve the condition of the Thai section Highway.

Nuanoi said Institute of Asian Studies and Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences has set up a joint research team for the Kunming-Bangkok Highway in the hope of solving the problem of poor connectivity between the two countries through research on the development of logistics on the Kunming-Bangkok Highway.

Kunming-Bangkok Highway boosts regional cooperation

What kind of changes has the Kunming-Bangkok Highway brought to regions along it? our reporters recently came to the Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University in Thailand to seek a diagnosis and prescription. The Kunming-Bangkok Highway is a road that brings new opportunities to China, Laos and Thailand and all of Southeast Asia. It not only boosts cooperation between China and Thailand, but also drives the development of neighboring countries. Professor Ukrist Pathmanand, Deputy Director of the Institute of Asian Studies said. Ukrist told us that in recent years, the Kunming-Bangkok Highway had spurred a tourism boom in northern Thailand with many Chinese tourists driving themselves to Thailand for holiday or sightseeing tours. This has led to the rapid development of the local hotel, retail and other related industries. The Kunming-Bangkok Highway links Yunnan and northern Thailand, but Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai are not industry clusters and many Thai commodities such as rice and fruits come from central and southern Thailand. He said that the ties between Kunming and Bangkok were not close enough, but there was great potential to expand bilateral trade, and industrial parks and logistics centers should be set up and commodity production bases built along the Highway to further strengthen the ties between Kunming and Bangkok. Director Nuanoi Treerat is more concerned with the condition of the Thai section of the Highway. She said that relatively few people in Bangkok drove themselves to Yunnan for sightseeing tours. It takes seven to eight hours to drive from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, which is very demanding on vehicles, so many people in Thailand choose to travel by plane. Many people in Chiang Rai choose Yunnan as their destination, but Chiang Rai has a population of only over one million, less than one-tenth of the capital Bangkok. She said that it was imperative to improve the condition of the Thai section Highway. Nuanoi said Institute of Asian Studies and Yunnan Academy of Social Sciences has set up a joint research team for the Kunming-Bangkok Highway in the hope of solving the problem of poor connectivity between the two countries through research on the development of logistics on the Kunming-Bangkok Highway.