BANGKOK: Thailand, China may set up special centre to combatThailand and China are considering joining hands to set up a special centre to deal with human trafficking issues after a Chinese delegate paid a visit to the Thai-Myanmar border,

The project is part of Thailand's broader strategy to bolster links with China, its largest trading partner, as it strives to keep pace with regional peers.

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.

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.

The Thai leader says that the discussions with Xi Jinping will focus on online scamming operations, tourism, and air pollution.

Thailand started the construction of the high-speed rail network in 2017 under the Chinese government’s Belt and Road Initiative, according to the project’s website. The Thai government is responsible for entire project investment, civil works construction, and application of Chinese construction technologies and railway systems.

International pressure is mounting on Thailand – including from the new US administration – over the fate of dozens of Uyghur men held in detention for more than a decade, following reports the Thai government planned to deport the group to China.

Thailand expects to complete its first high-speed rail network linking the country to China through Laos in 2030, a long-delayed project officials have touted as key to furthering bilateral relations and trade between the two nations.

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

Thailand and China will work together to combat fast-growing networks of illegal call centres along the Thai border with Myanmar and Cambodia, often staffed by trafficked workers, that aim to defraud people in phone and online scams.

Thailand's high-speed rail project connecting Bangkok to China through Laos has achieved significant progress, with the first phase now over one-third complete