BANGKOK, Jan 29 – China and Thailand on Sunday pledged to deepen pragmatic cooperation between the two countries in multiple sectors.
Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, Thai deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs on Sunday held the first annual consultations in Bangkok.
Noting two countries are as close as family, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, called China and Thailand each other’s good neighbors, good friends and good partners.
As next year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Thailand, Wang pointed out both countries are facing new opportunities for modernization and development as well as for building a China-Thailand community with a shared future.
China is willing to build a more stable, prosperous and sustainable community with a shared future between China and Thailand, strengthen practical cooperation in all fields and add new dimensions to the bilateral relations, Wang added.
Although the world is in a state of turmoil, with hotspot issues arising one after another, Wang told Parnpree that building a human community with a shared future is the noble goal pursued by China in conducting major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics for the new era.
China is ready to work with Thailand and other emerging developing countries to strengthen solidarity and cooperation, serve their own development and inject more stability and certainty into the volatile world, Wang said.
The Chinese foreign minister called on the two sides to further strengthen high-level exchanges and jointly plan a series of activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
The two sides should actively promote the construction of the Belt and Road, accelerate the construction of the China-Thailand Railway, and turn the vision of interconnected development of China, Laos and Thailand into reality, Wang noted.
He also urged joint efforts to promote cooperation in the fields of economy, trade and investment.
Wang said the two sides should make good use of the mutual visa exemption to close people-to-people exchanges.
He also called for strengthening law enforcement and security cooperation, taking practical measures to ensure the safety of tourists from both sides, and working together to crack down on transnational crimes such as Internet gambling and cyber fraud, so as to maintain security and stability in the region.
Parnpree, for his part, stressed that Thailand attaches great importance to the Thailand-China comprehensive strategic partnership and to strengthening friendship and cooperation with China, which not only serves the common interests of the two countries, but is also crucial to world peace and stability.
Thailand firmly adheres to the one-China principle, he noted, pledging not to have any form of official contact with the Taiwan region.
The Thai foreign minister also vowed to work with China to plan celebratory activities, close people-to-people exchanges, and strengthen cooperation in emerging areas such as green development and the digital economy, so as to promote greater development of relations between the two countries.
Thailand highly appreciates China, as a responsible major country, to make positive contributions to maintain world stability and promote global economic recovery, Parnpree stressed.
