Thailand is considering building the world’s tallest building in Bangkok, Thai prime minister Srettha Thavisin said on his official Twitter/X account.

He posted after meeting with a consortium of potential investors led by Mohamed Alabbar, the founder of Dubai-based property developer Emaar, and executives from Chinese company Broad Group, reports Bangkok Post.

Emaar is best known for its 828m Burj Khalifa, currently the world’s tallest tower, although Alabbar said he would invest in the Thai scheme in a personal capacity.

The tower would house a shopping mall, offices, banks, a hotel and an entertainment centre, said Srettha, who headed the property developer Sansiri before entering politics.

A government spokesperson told the Bloomberg news agency: “The prime minister put forward a challenge to them that they could build a tower here that’s even taller than the one in Dubai. They didn’t reject the idea.”

The proposal is in line with Srettha’s style of government. He describes himself as Thailand’s national salesman, and has set out to attract private investors in ventures such as the Bangkok tower.

The project would seek to follow Dubai’s model of building up a tourist industry by constructing eye-catching attractions.