Thailand aims to establish its first high-speed rail connection to China via Laos, enhancing trade and relations. The 609-kilometer network, part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, promises economic growth despite current delays.

Thailand expects its 609-km (378 miles) portion of a high-speed railway that will connect it with China through Laos to begin operations in 2030, its government said on Wednesday, nearly a decade later than originally planned.

Government spokesman says the rail line will connect Thailand to the global economy and bring it closer to becoming a logistics hub.

Thailand says its $13bn high-speed railway to China through Laos will enter service in 2030, South China Morning Post reports.

Thailand has announced that its section of the high-speed railway, which will connect the country with China through Laos, is slated to begin operations in 2030, marking a delay of nearly a decade from the original timeline of 2021.

By 2030, the US$13 billion Thai network is expected to connect to the Laos-China high-speed railway via a bridge over the Mekong River.