Northwest China province sees closer trade ties with Thailand

LANZHOU - Seeing his pigs becoming full-grown and ready for sale, Chinese farmer Gao Bingqiang feels relieved.

With the help of Lanzhou CP Food Co Ltd, a subsidiary of Thailand-based Chia Tai Group, Gao mobilized nine rural households in his village in Northwest China's Gansu province to raise funds for a pig farm two years ago.

By the end of this year, the pig farm is expected to sell more than 8,800 pigs into the market. "A growing number of families have been lifted out of poverty through raising pigs," 52-year-old Gao said.

Located on the Loess Plateau, Gao's village has long suffered severe water shortage and soil erosion. However, this barren land has become a hot destination for Thai-funded enterprises.

In 2013, the Lanzhou CP Food Co Ltd set up a breeding base in Jingtai county which administers Gao's village, with an annual sale of around 60,000 pigs.

"The sparsely populated area with arid climate is good for epidemic prevention. The county's breeding industry enjoys a rosy future," said Zhao Bo, staff from the company's executive office.

In addition to the breeding industry, Gansu and Thailand have closer trade ties in many areas such as trade financing, environmental protection and real estate development, according to Yang Liping, an official with the Gansu Provincial Department of Commerce.

There are a total of 43 Thai-funded enterprises in the province, with an investment of 133 million US dollars, Yang said.

Meanwhile, since 2014, the department has organized local enterprises to participate in expos in Thailand.

"To strengthen business bonds with Thailand, we established a commercial representative office there," Yang said.

China was Thailand's third-largest investor last year, and bilateral trade reached over 80.14 billion US dollars, official data showed.