Progress made with Thailand in sectors praised

Editor's note: President Xi Jinping on Friday held bilateral meetings with foreign leaders on the sidelines of the ongoing 31st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Lima, Peru.

President Xi Jinping commended on Friday the progress of China-Thailand cooperation across various sectors since his visit to the Southeast Asian country two years ago, saying that China is willing to push for greater progress in bilateral ties upon the upcoming 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on the sidelines of the 31st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting.

It was a delight to see the outcomes of the visit in 2022 being effectively implemented, with bilateral cooperation making positive progress across various fields and bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples, Xi said.

Xi said China stands ready to work with Thailand to carry forward the traditional friendship, strengthen the alignment of development strategies, deepen exchanges on governance experience, among others, to push forward the building of a China-Thailand community with a shared future.

He called on the two countries to enhance cultural, educational, and youth exchanges, organize such events as the enshrinement of the Buddha tooth relic in Thailand, deepen the bond between the two peoples, and pass on the China-Thailand friendship from generation to generation.

Xi said China is willing to strengthen coordination and communication with Thailand within multilateral mechanisms such as the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, ASEAN, BRICS, and APEC, to safeguard the unity and cooperation of ASEAN and regional nations and contribute to regional peace, stability, development and prosperity.

For her part, Paetongtarn said the world and the region are currently witnessing increasing turmoil, and the series of global initiatives put forward by China are strategically forward-looking and conducive to strengthening international solidarity and cooperation.

Thailand hopes to learn from China's successful development experiences, advance cooperation on the Thailand-China Railway and other Belt and Road cooperation projects, strengthen cultural and people-to-people exchanges and deepen traditional friendship, she said.