Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is not included in the list of Silk Road Summit attendees. (Photo : Getty Images)
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is missing in the list of world leaders who are set to attend China's Silk Road Summit on May 14 and 15 in Beijing, Bangkok Post reported.
Though the speculation is not confirmed yet, it is believed that the Thai leader was invited but decided to bypass what can be considered as the biggest diplomatic event of 2017.
In May last year, reports surfaced that Thailand has rejected China's request for land rights for a railway project.
China, through Foreign Minister Wang Yi, announced on Tuesday the 28 nations who will be sending their top officials--may it be their president, prime minister or senior minister.
The roster of countries who will be represented by their president includes Argentina, Belarus, Czech Republic, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Laos, the Philippines, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
Meanwhile, nations who are sending their prime minister to the event are Cambodia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Greece, Hungary, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Poland, Serbia, Spain, Sri Lanka and Italy (the sole G7 nation on the list).
Myanmar will be represented by its effective leader, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.
Invitations were rolled out back in February.
The Silk Road Summit is part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's landmark initiative, "One Belt, One Road," which aims to link Asia, Africa and Europe through modern-day Silk Road trading routes.
The endeavor will see the establishment of different billion-dollar infrastructure projects including power grids, railways and ports. The Chinese government has pledged a Silk Road fund worth $40 billion. The initiative is reported to be the main reason behind the creation of the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
According to Wang, "One Belt, One Road is to date the most important public good China has given to the world, first proposed by China but for all countries to enjoy."
"The culture and historical genes of One Belt, One Road come from the old Silk Road, so it takes Eurasia as its main region," he further remarked.
A total of 110 countries will send representatives to attend the Silk Road Summit.
Apart from Thailand, the list did not also include officials from India, Japan, South Korea, North Korea and Australia.
