On January 15, Chinese Ambassador to Thailand Zhang Jianwei exchanged views with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on the China-Thailand Railway construction crane collapse accident.

Ambassador Zhang expressed sincere condolences concerning the casualties caused by the accident and emphasized that the China-Thailand Railway is a cooperation project under the Belt and Road Initiative jointly undertaken by China and Thailand. The first phase of the project is funded and constructed by the Thai side, with relevant Chinese enterprises providing technical support in a supervisory role. China attaches great importance to the safety of the project and personnel, and consistently requires Chinese companies to participate in cooperation in accordance with laws and regulations. China is willing to guide relevant Chinese enterprises to actively cooperate with the Thai side in the investigation and believes that Thailand will reach an objective and fair conclusion.

 Prime Minister Anutin expressed gratitude for China’s condolences, stating that Thailand highly values the China-Thailand Railway project and that the participation of relevant Chinese enterprises in project supervision is lawful and compliant. The Thai government is urgently conducting a comprehensive investigation to identify the cause of the accident as soon as possible.