Why did Thailand first open electronic customs clearance to overseas Singapore?

On August 2017 19, the Immigration Department of Thailand opened the electronic automatic customs clearance system for the first time to Singapore citizens who traveled to Thailand.

The Immigration Bureau of Thailand said that the new measures can shorten the customs clearance time for each passenger from one minute to twenty or thirty seconds. Visitors only need to register with the Immigration Bureau of Thailand before departure, and they can use it once they pass. This move can not only implement the general direction of economic development in 4.0, but also provide a foundation for opening the electronic automatic customs clearance system to more countries in the future.

Regarding the choice of Singapore as the first country, the Immigration Bureau of Thailand believes that Singapore has no less than one million tourists to Thailand every year, and has always maintained good relations with Thailand, which will not bring instability to Thailand.

At present, Thailand also plans to open the policy to China, Hongkong, Japan and other European countries, so as to alleviate the problem of long entry time for foreign tourists in the tourist season.

Many netizens said, why not open it to China first? China has the largest number of tourists in the world, which is really unwise. It takes so long for China tourists to enter the customs. I hope to open electronic customs clearance as soon as possible.