(April 2): China’s embassy in Bangkok urged a construction company to cooperate with Thai authorities in a probe into the crash of a skyscraper during an earthquake last week, which has now widened to the firm’s other business operations in the Southeast Asian country.

Chinese authorities have always instructed its companies to abide by local laws and adhere to social responsibility when doing business abroad, the embassy said in a statement on Facebook late on Tuesday.

The appeal for cooperation came after Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra ordered an investigation into all the business dealings of China Railway Number 10 Thailand Co, a partner in a venture that was building the 30-storey tower, which collapsed when a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit neighbouring Myanmar on March 28.

The semi-built building, which was set to be a new location for Thailand’s State Audit Office, was the only structure in Thailand to fall, killing at least 15 workers and trapping more than 70 people. It was being constructed by ITD-CREC, a joint venture between Italian-Thai Development Pcl and China Railway No 10.

“China will still support and assist according to Thailand’s needs, and calls on the Chinese company involved to fully cooperate with the Thai government’s investigation,” the embassy said. “We believe the Thai government’s investigation will lead to scientific and fair conclusions.”

China Railway No 10, which couldn’t be reached for comment, will be a focal point in multiple investigations by the Thai government. The main probe centres around potential faults with the skyscraper’s designer, construction supervisor and the two Thai and Chinese contractors.

The Chinese firm had won 11 Thai government contracts, including a school building that’s already completed. The Ministry of Transport has begun scrutinising some of those projects, including a part of the Thailand-China high-speed railway project that was awarded to the ITD-CREC joint venture, Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit said on Wednesday.

The Department of Special Investigation is also set to probe the Chinese firm’s businesses to see if they illegally used Thai nominees as proxy shareholders.

Another Chinese firm has also drawn public scrutiny. Earlier this week, a probe found that the contractors were using substandard steel in the construction of the fallen tower. Samples of steel bars that didn’t pass the quality test were made by Xin Ke Yuan Steel Co, whose factory in Thailand’s Rayong province was ordered to shut since December.

An airport terminal project in Narathiwat, for which a venture by China Railway No 10 and Thai firm ISO Engineering Co won a contract, could be called off for delays, deputy minister Manaporn Charoensri said.

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