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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, February 26, 2002

Mekong River Emerges as Key Trade Route Between Thailand, China: Report

The Mekong River which links northern Thailand and southwestern China, is becoming an important trade route between the two countries after the commercial navigation on the river opened under a regional agreement last June, the Bangkok Post newspaper reported Tuesday.


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The Mekong River which links northern Thailand and southwestern China, is becoming an important trade route between the two countries after the commercial navigation on the river opened under a regional agreement last June, the Bangkok Post newspaper reported Tuesday.

Thailand and China, together with Myanmar and Laos, agreed lastyear to open up a 500-kilometer waterway in the upper part of the Mekong river running between the four nations, which allows free flow of cargo and reduces trade barriers.

The busiest traffic on the route is between Thailand and China,with a port in northern Thai province of Chiang Rai, 870 kilometers north of here, becoming a major stop where Chinese barges unload and take on board Thai products.

A record 2,000 vessels called at the port last year, almost double the number the year before.

Last year, two-way trade on the Mekong river between Thailand and China increased by 142 percent to 2.7 billion baht (61 millionU.S. dollars) compared with that of 2000, with Thai exports to China increasing 165 percent and imports from China up 77 percent year-on-year.

Key Thai exports include dried longans, a favorite food among Chinese, truck tires, frozen chicken wings, apples, water buffaloes and processed timber while imports from China are mainlypotassium chlorate, lighter parts, Video Compact Disk players, pears, mushrooms and wood.

Thai officials, traders and analysts all agree that the trade on Mekong river will further surge given China's commitment to reducing import duty after joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) last year.





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