Security issues come to the fore as firms expand reach

Security issues could become a bigger concern for Chinese railway contractors as they expand their presence in Southeast Asia, according to regional development experts.

Three headline projects particularly have drawn attention to China's growing rail construction activity in the area in recent months.

The China-Lao railway project was launched in December with a ceremony in the capital Vientiane, and a China-Thailand railway project was inaugurated two weeks later in Ayutthaya, Thailand's ancient capital, 64 kilometers north of Bangkok.