China will provide support to five neighbouring countries to improve infrastructure inter-connectivity and alleviate poverty, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang announced here Saturday.The offer includes $1 billion for infrastructure inter-connectivity, $490 million in grant for poverty alleviation and $10 billion in special loans, Li said, according to a Xinhua report.In a speech at the fifth summit of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Economic Cooperation held in Thailand's capital Bangkok, Li said that infrastructure inter-connectivity, particularly transportation facilities, is vital to boosting economy and development.
The Chinese and Thai governments have agreed to build Thailand's first standard-gauge railway line with a total length of over 800 km, which is estimated to cost nearly $10.6 billion.Li expressed hope that the new high-calibre, high-quality and cost-effective railway line would benefit neighbouring countries, if extended to other places in the region.The Greater Mekong Subregion designates a development project initiated by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 1992 that brought together the six states of the Mekong river basin -- Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and China.The GMS programme, with the support of the ADB and other development partners, helps to identify and implement high-priority subregional projects in a wide range of sectors.China also promised to invest $16.4 million to dredge the waterways along the Mekong river and prevent natural disasters.
The Chinese premier said that China expects to export its high-level production capacities in sectors like electricity, telecommunication, steel and cement to the neighbouring countries.On a broader scale, Li said, the GMS Economic Cooperation, with a total trade volume of $150 billion in 2013, will further enrich China's partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).To further China's ties with the GMS countries, Li suggested jointly planning and developing a comprehensive transportation network.