China’s southern Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region will make building a high-speed rail link from its main city of Nanning to connect to a planned Singapore-bound line its main task in the next five years, the China Daily said.

The construction of the rail link to Pingxiang, a city near China’s border with Vietnam, will start in the second half of this year, the paper said citing the local development and reform commission.

 

The local government wants a railway network to boost its trade with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including Vietnam and Singapore. Asean is the largest trading partner and export market for Guangxi, according to the paper.

 

Guangxi will invest 15.6 billion yuan ($3.04 billion) to build its section of the rail link, the newspaper reported, citing Long Li, a regional transportation official.

 

The report didn’t say whether China has reached agreements with the neighboring countries on the plan.

 

Thailand’s government said it will build a high-speed rail system linking the country with Laos, Vietnam and southern China, according to a report by the Nation newspaper in August, citing Korbsak Sabhavasu, secretary to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.