Mrs.Chamaiporn Chuecharoen, Commercial Consul of Royal Thai Consulate General in Kunming, said recently that the diversified development of Yunnan’s logistics channels with South and Southeast Asian countries is turning the province into an increasingly important hub for ASEAN countries.

Today, according to Mrs.Chamaiporn Chuecharoen, the seven highways and four cross-country roads in Yunnan “will turn the province into the first hub in western China to connect with South and Southeast Asian countries and strengthen China’s exchanges and cooperation with these countries in terms of economy, trade, investment, tourism and culture.” In her view, Yunnan, and especially Kunming, is playing an important role in the new logistics network further connecting ASEAN countries.

Mrs.Chamaiporn Chuecharoen also said, for China and Thailand, the constant improvement of infrastructure has changed old transport channels. In the past, goods were transported between China and Thailand via the ports of Hong Kong, Guangzhou or Shanghai. But now the Kunming-Bangkok Highway has turned Yunnan into the first overland gateway for Thailand to access China.

Yunnan is an inland province without any direct maritime transport routes, but its favourable location has turned it into an important hub connecting China with South and Southeast Asian countries. With the constant improvement of road transportation networks, and the sustainable development of air and water transport, Yunnan’s important position in the logistics channels of ASEAN countries is self-evident.

Mrs.Chamaiporn Chuecharoen believes that the development of rail transport in Yunnan will better connect China with South and Southeast Asian countries. As she has learnt, Yunnan expects to build eight interprovincial railways connecting it with Tibet and seven other provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions. In addition, four international railways will be completed by 2020, which will further diversify logistics channels between China and its neighboring countries. Mrs.Chamaiporn Chuecharoen believes that the high-speed railway extending from Kunming to Bangkok via Laos will become a major transport channel to promote trade between ASEAN countries and China. It will also turn ASEAN into a more attractive platform of cooperation and exchanges in trade, investment and tourism.