China offers to hand out more than $11.5 billion in aid and loans to its southeast asian neighbors -- Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos, state-run Xinhua reported on Saturday.

China's Premier Li Keqiang offered $1 billion to bankroll infrastructure, $490 million aid to ease poverty and special loans worth some $10 billion.

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Li made the announcement before a gathering of nations located along the Mekong River. On Friday, he pledged to help build a railway running across Thailand that will reportedly cost $10.6 billion.

Details were disclosed on the projects to be financed, but the report said China will export production capacity in the electricity, telecommunication, steel and cement industries.

Xinhua also reported China pledged to pay some $16.4 million to dredge waterways running across the river and guard against natural disasters, Xinhua quoted Li as saying.

Dams and hydro power projects were expected to be the top agenda of the this year's Greater Mekong Subregion Summit, despite concerns over environmental damage and social price.

China has spent a lot of diplomatic energy to win over Southeast Asia, where it is in an influential maritime gathering investigator -- amid fears over its long-term intentions.

In November, Beijing offered $20 billion in soft loans and aid to the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations during a gathering in Myanmar.