Thailand Pushes ‘Land Bridge’ to Speed Trade

Thailand Pushes ‘Land Bridge’ to Speed Trade

泰国推动“陆地桥”以加速贸易

【听力音频】

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　　By Hai Do

　　21 December 2023

　　Thailand is looking for investment to build a "land bridge" across the narrow southern part of the country. The Southeast Asian nation hopes to provide a shorter path for cargo between the Pacific and Indian oceans without having to go through the Malacca Strait and Singapore.

　　Under the plan, cargo would travel by highway and railroad from the area of Chumpon on the Gulf of Thailand to Ranong on the Indian Ocean to be loaded onto waiting ships.

　　Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has been seeking support for the $28-billion project from investors around the world. At the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gathering in San Francisco, Srettha said the land bridge would connect the oceans "without requiring ships to sail down along the tip of Singapore, known to experience congestion and would cut transport duration." He called it a "very important project, not just for Thailand, but also for the world."

　　Thailand says it is open to interest from all investors. After a meeting with Japanese businesses and leaders, Srettha said there was interest in the project without providing additional information. Thai transport minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit said more than 10 American companies expressed interest without naming them.

　　China's interest in the area

　　China, an important trade nation in the area, has not commented on the plan for the land bridge.

　　For many years, Chinese businesses have been pushing for a deepwater project called the Kra Canal. The canal would cross the Kra Isthmus and would permit large ships to pass. The proposed project would cut at least one day of sailing time from passing through the Malacca Strait.

　　Former Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha set up a Chinese-supported center to study the canal idea. But it has never started because of the cost and possible environmental damage.

　　Sompong Putivisutisak, a professor at Chulalongkorn University, has studied the land bridge proposal. Sompong said, "(China) won't give away its position that easily until it sees the other investors."

　　He told VOA there are two reasons that China would invest in the land bridge project: "First, financial benefits, secondly geopolitics. Financially, this project is not worth the investment, but geopolitically it could be interesting as China would have control over both seas."

　　At a Belt and Road Initiative meeting in Beijing last October, Thai officials said the land bridge could be connected to another high-speed railway under construction from Thailand to Singapore. Srettha even drew a map of the route during a meeting, which he posted online.

　　But critics say the plan is unlikely to win China's full backing. They say a land bridge would require loading and unloading cargo from ships and would not save any time.

　　Somboon Kamhang, chairman of the Coordinating Committee on Development, called it "another dreamy project." He told VOA, "China isn't interested in the land bridge project. Building a land bridge is just way too costly and time-consuming, but China can get behind the canal idea which could give it more control over the region."

　　I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.

　　Vijitra Duangdee reported this story for VOA News. Hai Do adapted it for VOA Learning English.

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　　作者：Hai Do

　　2023年12月21日

　　泰国正在寻求投资，以在该国狭窄的南部地区建设一座“陆地桥”。这个东南亚国家希望提供一条更短的货物运输路径，使货物可以在太平洋和印度洋之间运输，而无需经过马六甲海峡和新加坡。

　　根据这个计划，货物将通过公路和铁路从泰国湾的春蓬地区运输到印度洋的拉廊，然后装载到等待的船只上。

　　泰国总理Srettha Thavisin一直在寻求全球投资者对这个280亿美元项目的支持。在旧金山的亚太经济合作组织（APEC）会议上，Srettha表示，这座陆地桥将连接两个海洋，“无需让船只沿着新加坡的尖端航行，那里通常会出现拥堵，而且可以缩短运输时间。”他称这是一个“非常重要的项目，不仅对泰国，而且对全世界都很重要。”

　　泰国表示，对所有投资者的兴趣都持开放态度。在与日本企业和领导人的会议后，Srettha表示对该项目有兴趣，但没有提供额外的信息。泰国交通部长Suriya Juangroongruangkit表示，有超过10家美国公司表示了兴趣，但没有透露它们的名字。

　　中国在该地区的兴趣

　　作为该地区的重要贸易国，中国尚未对陆地桥计划发表评论。

　　多年来，中国企业一直在推动一个名为Kra运河的深水项目。这条运河将穿越Kra地峡，允许大型船只通过。这个拟议的项目将至少减少一天的马六甲海峡航行时间。

　　前总理Prayuth Chan-ocha设立了一个由中国支持的中心来研究运河的想法。但由于成本和可能的环境破坏，该项目从未启动。

　　朱拉隆功大学的教授Sompong Putivisutisak研究了这个陆地桥的提议。Sompong说，“（中国）不会轻易放弃自己的立场，除非它看到其他的投资者。”

　　他告诉美国之音，中国会投资陆地桥项目有两个原因：“首先，财务利益，其次是地缘政治。从财务角度来看，这个项目的投资价值不高，但从地缘政治角度来看，这可能很有趣，因为中国将能控制两个海洋。”

　　在去年10月在北京举行的一带一路倡议会议上，泰国官员表示，陆地桥可以与正在建设中的从泰国到新加坡的另一条高速铁路相连。Srettha甚至在一次会议上画出了路线图，并将其发布在网上。

　　但批评者表示，该计划不太可能得到中国的全力支持。他们说，陆地桥将需要从船上装卸货物，而且不会节省任何时间。

　　发展协调委员会主席Somboon Kamhang称其为“又一个梦幻项目”。他告诉美国之音，“中国对陆地桥项目不感兴趣。建设陆地桥的成本太高，耗时太长，但中国可以支持运河的想法，这可能会让它对该地区有更多的控制。”

　　我是Mario Ritter, Jr.

　　Vijitra Duangdee为美国之音新闻报道了这个故事。Hai Do为美国之音学习英语改编了它。

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　　这个故事中的词汇：

　　cargo –n. 由车辆运输的物品

　　congestion –n. 某物过于充满或拥挤的状态

　　duration –n.某事持续的时间

　　benefits –n. (pl.) 由某种选择或行动产生的好结果

　　time-consuming –adj.需要大量时间的