China hopes to strengthen cooperation with Thailand through a key railway project that is expected to link the industrial eastern seaboard with southern China Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday.

Thailand’s cabinet on July 11 approved construction of the first phase of the $5.5-billion railway project, which has been beset by delays, including negotiations on loan terms, under the push of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who heads the Thai ruling junta.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, said”Firstly, we need to strengthen cooperation on railway projects between Thailand and China and aim to start construction in the near future, helping Thailand link up to the wider market in China, and become the centre for connections in the region.

“Secondly, (China) will actively participate in the construction of the Eastern Economic Corridor in Thailand, helping Thailand to upgrade and transform its economy while establishing a new platform for the cooperation of ‘One Belt One Road’.”

The link forms part of Beijing’s regional infrastructure drive to connect Chinese cities with Southeast Asia, including Thailand’s industrial zones and its eastern deep sea port.

Some analysts see the project as a centrepiece of China-Thailand relations which appear to have deepened following a 2014 coup by the Thai army.

Wang on Monday met his Thai counterpart Don Pramuwinai and Prayuth in the capital Bangkok, discussing a range of international and regional issues, from bilateral relations and economic cooperation to infiltration of Islamic militants in the region and the South China Sea.