BEIJING – Ahead of Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s inaugural visit to China on February 5, her government took decisive action to curb scam operations flourishing in Myanmar’s border regions. Thailand cut off electricity supplies to areas notorious for housing these criminal enterprises, a move that gained attention following the abduction of a Chinese actor in Thailand who was trafficked into Myanmar in January.
A day before her visit, the Thai Cabinet also approved the next phase of the long-delayed Thailand-China high-speed rail project, which will connect Nakhon Ratchasima to Nong Khai in northeastern Thailand, linking it to China’s Yunnan province via Laos.
During her February 6 meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, Mr. Xi praised Thailand’s crackdown on online fraud and illegal gambling. He reaffirmed China’s commitment to advancing joint infrastructure projects, particularly the China-Thailand railway, to strengthen regional connectivity.
Ms. Paetongtarn expressed Thailand’s interest in deepening cooperation with China in trade, agriculture, and economic development. She also emphasized the importance of working together with neighboring countries on law enforcement to combat transnational crime, according to a Chinese government statement.
Thailand’s power supply cut to Myanmar’s scam-ridden border towns is expected to cost the country approximately 600 million baht (S$24 million) annually in lost revenue. The issue of cyber fraud syndicates has been a growing concern for China, as many Chinese nationals are both perpetrators and victims.
The matter gained international attention after Chinese actor Wang Xing went missing on January 3 near the Thai-Myanmar border while allegedly pursuing a film role. He was later rescued on January 7 from a fraudulent operation site. The case led to a surge in Chinese tourists canceling trips to Thailand during the Lunar New Year holiday, while Hong Kong singer Eason Chan also called off a scheduled concert in Thailand over safety concerns for his fans.
Ms. Sharon Seah, an expert at the ASEAN Studies Centre at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, noted that China is eager to clamp down on scam centers operating out of Myanmar. She suggested that Beijing and Bangkok may seek cooperation from Myanmar’s ethnic armed groups and local resistance forces, bypassing the military junta, which has seen its power erode in recent months.
Despite these challenges, economic relations between China and Thailand are expected to remain strong. China has been Thailand’s top trading partner and largest foreign investor for the past decade. On February 6, Ms. Paetongtarn and Chinese Premier Li Qiang oversaw the signing of 14 bilateral agreements covering sectors such as artificial intelligence, nuclear technology, and fisheries.
Thailand also remains Southeast Asia’s largest market for electric vehicles (EVs), an industry increasingly dominated by Chinese automakers. BYD, China’s leading EV manufacturer, established its first Southeast Asian production facility in Thailand in 2024, signaling further economic integration between the two nations.