BANGKOK, July 5 (Xinhua) — Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday in Bangkok that China-Thailand relations are “as close as family.”
During a meeting with Thai Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, Wang said the two countries should cherish the relationship described as China and Thailand being as close as family.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Thailand have helped each other overcome difficulties. They witnessed progress in bilateral practical cooperation during the pandemic, which showed resilience and vitality, Wang said.
As major developing countries and emerging economies, China and Thailand should strengthen strategic coordination so as to make greater contributions to regional and global peace and stability, he added.
China supports Thailand in hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting this year, to make Asian voices heard and to make Asian contribution to global governance, Wang said.
For his part, Don said the two countries have maintained strategic communication, deepened political mutual trust, and expanded practical cooperation in the spirit that Thailand and China are close like family.
Don thanked China for providing him with medical supplies to help Thailand fight COVID-19, for simplifying the customs clearance of Thai agricultural exports to China, and for facilitating the return of Thai students to China.
Thailand hopes that both countries will work to focus the APEC 2022 meetings on openness, connectivity and balance, and to achieve positive results in the Free Trade Asia-Pacific Area (FTAAP) and the green biocircular economy, to boost post-pandemic recovery, Don said.
The two sides agreed to take the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership as an opportunity to jointly plan the future development of bilateral ties.
The two sides vowed to build a more stable, prosperous and sustainable China-Thailand community with a shared future, elevate the bilateral comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to a higher level, expand the friendship between the two peoples, and make greater progress in cooperation in various fields.
Both sides agreed to work on the early rail connection between China, Laos and Thailand to enable a smoother flow of goods and thus boost the development of economy and trade, and industrial development, promoting an overall advancement of tripartite cooperation between them. , and a real rise in subregional development.
They also agreed to strengthen cyber security cooperation and jointly combat telecom fraud.
Wang is on a tour of Asia, taking him to Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia. He also co-chaired the 7th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (MLC) in Bagan, Myanmar on Monday.
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