China aims to advance mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas with Thailand

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on the sidelines of the 31st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in the Peruvian capital, Lima, on Friday.

Xi stated that during his visit to Thailand in November 2022, he reached an important consensus with the Thai side on building a China-Thailand community with a shared future. He expressed pleasure in seeing the outcomes of that visit effectively implemented, with positive progress in cooperation across various fields, bringing tangible benefits to the peoples of both countries.

China is willing to work with Thailand to promote the historical Sino-Thai friendship, strengthen the alignment of development strategies, deepen exchanges on governance experiences and advance mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas, Xi said.

He emphasized that this collaboration will aid both countries in their modernization efforts and further the building of the China-Thailand community with a shared future.

Xi also called for both sides to accelerate the construction of the China-Thailand railway, expand cooperation in emerging fields such as new energy, the digital economy and artificial intelligence, and strengthen cultural, educational and youth exchanges.

China is willing to enhance coordination and communication with Thailand in multilateral mechanisms such as Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, ASEAN, BRICS and APEC, to uphold unity and cooperation between ASEAN and regional countries, contributing positively to regional peace, stability, development and prosperity, the Chinese president said.

Noting the numerous challenges the world is currently facing, Paetongtarn remarked that China-proposed global initiatives are highly strategic and forward-looking, promoting greater unity and cooperation within the international community.

She acknowledged China as a good friend and partner to Thailand, expressing admiration for China's achievements in areas such as poverty alleviation. Paetongtarn also noted that Thailand looks forward to celebrating the 50th anniversary of China-Thailand diplomatic relations and the "Golden Year of Friendship" next year, strengthening high-level exchanges with China and jointly creating a better future for Sino-Thai relations in the next 50 years.

Thailand hopes to learn from China's successful development experience, continue advancing joint initiatives under the Belt and Road Initiative, such as the China-Thailand railway, strengthen people-to-people exchanges, and deepen their historical friendship, Paetongtarn said.

She added that Thailand also seeks to enhance cooperation with China in multilateral frameworks such as APEC, and work together to maintain the free trade system.