Malaysian, Thai premiers meet at border point to boost trade, connectivity

By Necva Tastan

ISTANBUL (AA) – Malaysian and Thai prime ministers met on Monday at a border point between the two Southeast Asian nations to boost trade and people-to-people exchanges.

Anwar Ibrahim and Srettha Thavisin inspected the road alignment project at the Thai-Malaysia border in northern Bukit Kayu Hitam town of Kedah state which connects with the southernmost tip of Thailand.

They “agreed to expedite the project for the benefit of the peoples of both countries,” the Thai Foreign Ministry said on X.

The duo discussed a joint plan to increase bilateral trade to $30 billion by 2025 and emphasized border infrastructure development, the ministry added.

They agreed to create task forces for border trade, tourism, agriculture, and stability and committed to speeding up the signing of a Cross-Border Transport of Goods Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the ministry said in a statement.

The bilateral discussions included tourism, marketing of Thailand's halal food items, measures to curb wildlife smuggling, and the development of the road linking the new Sadao checkpoint to the Bukit Kayu Hitam checkpoint.

It also included plans for the construction of a second bridge connecting Su-ngai Kolok town in Thailand and Rantau Panjang town in Malaysian Kelantan state.