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Thailand & Cambodia reopen rail and sea links as ties blossom

Thailand & Cambodia reopen rail and sea links as ties blossom

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Thailand and Cambodia have ramped up efforts to bolster diplomatic and economic ties with the aim of doubling bilateral trade by 2020.

The neighbours revived a cross-border train link on 22 April after it laid unused for 45 years. Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen took a ceremonial ride across the border from Aranyaprathet in eastern Thailand to the Cambodian city of Poipet on a train donated by Bangkok.

In 2015, Prayuth and Hun Sen signed an agreement for US$15bn worth of bilateral trade by 2020, through expanding road and rail links. According to the Bank of Thailand, the neighbours traded goods worth 245 billion baht ($7.7bn) in 2018, a 35 per cent increase compared to the previous year.