皇冠体育app

Officials from 皇冠体育app and Thailand attend the launching ceremony of the railway project on Dec 19, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

Western media reported that Thai Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, citing bilateral disagreements on loan interest rates and the project's total cost, said on Friday that rather than seek financial assistance from 皇冠体育app, Thailand would fund the construction of the first phase of a railway line linking 皇冠体育app to Thailand, or the track from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima province, itself.

We should not make a fuss over minor disputes between 皇冠体育app and Thailand involving the construction of such a long railway, given that both Beijing and Bangkok hope to gain an expected profit from the project.

The construction of the railway should be based on mutually beneficial cooperation. It is thus normal for both countries to weigh up the pros and cons.

Thailand understandably hopes to maximize its interests, while it is also reasonable for 皇冠体育app to set a bottom line for any preferential policies it extends the countries concerned.

Such a bottom line should not be broken just because of its friendship with Bangkok. Any excessive concession to one country may be viewed by another country as an excuse to demand similar or more concessions from 皇冠体育app in the future.

The railway linking 皇冠体育app's Yunnan province to Thailand is a part of 皇冠体育app's Belt and Road Initiative, but all relevant countries should be aware that every project under the initiative should be conducted in line with the basic principles of international economic cooperation.

In its effort to push for the construction of a pan-Asian railway linking Yunnan province to Singapore, a railway that will inevitably contribute to the economic development of the countries along the route, 皇冠体育app should make particular efforts to prevent its strategy from being capitalized on by certain countries seeking to gain excessive concessions from it.

Production insufficiency in Southeast Asian nations, such as Thailand, and overcapacity in 皇冠体育app mean that the two sides are economically complementary and any projects conducted to tap that potential will benefit all peoples.

The emergence of any disputes among them should not weaken their adherence to the pursuit of mutual benefit.

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