Thailand appears to be fully on board with China’s One Belt, One Road infrastructure project but the Philippines and Myanmar are cautious, according to academics hosted yesterday in China’s southern city of Nanning.

Meanwhile, the status of Taiwan’s bid to invest in One Belt, One Road remains unclear, an analyst said.

Taiwan’s application to join the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the financing body for One Belt, One Road, as a founder was rejected in April.

The Finance Ministry of Taiwan has said it would negotiate with approved members with the goal of reapplying at a later date as an “ordinary member.” According to the ministry, joining the funding body would expand market opportunity and strengthen regional interactions that could facilitate free-trade agreements.

… Li Mingjiang (李明江), a panelist at the event and a professor at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said reactions from the ASEAN states have mainly been positive.

He said most Southeast Asian countries have indicated a clear willingness to participate as they considered it a good opportunity for long-term economic development: Thailand, Cambodia and Laos were “the most supportive” and appeared to endorse the project with no reservations.

“Having said that, there are significant strategic concerns,” he said.