BANGKOK: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday that China appreciates Thailand for upholding the one-China principle.
Wang made the remarks during his meeting with Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, noting that the Taiwan question is a matter of sovereignty and territorial integrity of China.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said China believes that Thailand will continue to understand and support China’s cause of reunification.
Wang noted that China always sees Thailand as a priority in its diplomacy with neighboring countries and will continue to support Thailand in safeguarding its national sovereignty and security and achieving development and revitalization.
China is happy to see Thailand, which is an important country in the region, play a positive role in regional stability and world peace, Wang added.
The top Chinese diplomat said Srettha’s decision to make China the first country outside the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for an official visit after assuming office last year fully reflects the great importance that Thailand attaches to its relations with China, and has brought their traditional friendship even closer while deepening the long-standing tradition that “Chinese and Thais are of one family”.
The leaders of the two countries have outlined the blueprint for building a China-Thailand community with a shared future, opening a new chapter in the friendly cooperation between China and Thailand, Wang said.
As China and Thailand are comprehensive strategic cooperative partners, the strengthening of mutual trust and mutually beneficial cooperation between them would provide further guarantee of peace in Asia and impetus for regional development, said Wang.
He stressed that the purpose of his visit is to implement the consensus of the leaders of the two countries, advance pragmatic cooperation in various fields, and bring the China-Thailand relations even closer.
China is willing to maintain high-level exchanges with Thailand, enhance cultural and people-to-people exchanges, seize the opportunity of mutual visa exemption to promote two-way tourism, and deepen pragmatic cooperation in areas such as economy, trade and investment, said the Chinese top diplomat.
The two sides should speed up the development of the China-Thailand Railway, open the central line of the Trans-Asian Railway, and push for an early realization of the China-Laos-Thailand Connectivity Development Corridor Outlook, so as to provide new momentum and open up new opportunities for the long-term development of both countries, Wang said.
For his part, Srettha said Thailand attaches great importance to the bilateral relations with China and firmly adheres to the one-China principle.
The agreement on mutual visa exemption signed during Wang’s visit would facilitate the enhancement of economic, trade, and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, as well as deepen friendship between the two peoples and bring the already close relationship between Thailand and China even closer, said the Thai prime minister.
Thailand will actively participate in Belt and Road cooperation, said Srettha, adding that he hopes the relevant departments of both countries will strengthen communication and accelerate related projects to enhance regional connectivity.
The Thai prime minister noted that as 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Thailand and China, both sides should make early preparations and plans, maintain close high-level exchanges, and promote cooperation in various fields to achieve greater development of the bilateral relations.
Following the meeting, Wang and Srettha jointly attended the signing ceremony of a protocol regarding the export of Thai agricultural products to China.
During his visit to Thailand, Wang also met with Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara for the annual consultation between the two countries, as well as Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand.
