A group of four southern provinces and cities in China are working with authorities in Thailand to develop smart cities, with Chinese technology playing a vital role in the Asean region, although data flow remains a challenge in the development of the digital economy, according to a top Thai official.
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The Digital Economy Promotion Agency of Thailand, which reports to the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, is collaborating with Shenzhen and Hangzhou, as well as the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and Yunnan province.
They are aiming to create an “ecosystem using digital technologies”, said Supakorn Siddhichai, executive vice-president of the Digital Economy Promotion Agency.
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“In the Belt and Road Initiative, we work in terms of improving our infrastructure, both hard and soft, like railways, bridges and roads, connecting to Laos, to Cambodia, and also to south Malaysia and Singapore eventually,” he told the Post on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Summit in Hong Kong last week.
“[For] soft digital infrastructure, [we] work in terms of submarine cables and also building laser centres in the region to help support the digital transformation of businesses.”