Off the wire
• Escaped stowaway caught by police in south China  • Indian military defuses two bombs planted by militants in Indian-controlled Kashmir  • News Analysis: Italian authorities seek better tools against organized crime  • Turkey captures 333 illegal migrants sailing to Italy  • 17 killed in clashes with IS militants and bomb attacks in Iraq  • Vietnamese president says key corruption cases brought to justice in 2014  • China continues Diaoyu Islands patrol  • World summit in UAE pushes for renewable energy growth  • China to strengthen ideological work in colleges  • Kiev asks Moscow to sign ceasefire implementation plan  
You are here: 　 Home

Roundup: Thailand to open special economic zones to promote cross-border trade, manufacturing

Xinhua, January 19, 2015 Adjust font size:

Thailand plans to establish five special economic zones near its border in a bid to generate some 45 billion U.S. dollars in cross-border trading and industries in a year.

The planned special economic zones include those in Mukdaharn province bordering Laos, Srakaew province bordering Cambodia, Trat province bordering Cambodia, Sadao district in Songkla province bordering Malaysia and Mae Sot district in Tak province bordering Myanmar, said government officials on Monday.

The military-led Thai government plans to improve the infrastructures such as roads and railways to connect the five special economic zones with the neighboring states as well as with the interior of Thailand, they said.

For instance, a railway will be improved to connect the Thai border district of Aranyaprathet with Cambodia's Poi Pet township and an airport will be built in Mae Sot while a second bridge will be built to link Mae Sot with Myanmar's Myawaddy township.

A motorway and railway will also be built to link Songkla's Hat Yai district with Malaysia's Padang Besar.

An estimated 2.5 billion U.S. dollars of funding will be provided for the construction and improvement of the infrastructures in those special economic zones.

Up to 45 billion U.S. dollars in trade and industry earnings is expected in those special economic zones throughout this year, with the likelihood of an increase in value in the following years, the officials said.

Besides, other privileges will be granted to those who may open manufacturing factories in the planned special economic zones such as the exemption of income tax for an eight-year time and the exemption of import duty for machinery and other capital goods for a five-year time, they said.

Other promotional privileges will be provided to the industries in those special economic zones, which will apply advanced technology and will not be detrimental to environment.

Cross-bordering trading between Thailand and those countries is expected to be hectic in wake of the planned formation of the ASEAN Economic Community later this year.

In addition, a medium-speed railway will be built to link Yunnan province in southern China with Thailand's northeastern border province of Nong Khai via the Lao capital of Vientiane. Endi