Premier Li Qiang has underlined the need for China and Thailand to build on their stable ties, better protect the rights and interests of investors and step up collaboration in cutting-edge sectors during his meetings with Thai leaders and corporate executives in Bangkok over the weekend.
Li was on his first official visit to the Southeast Asian country from Friday to Sunday. After wrapping up his visit to Thailand, Li arrived in the Philippines on Sunday to attend the 29th China-Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Manila.
When meeting with Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Saturday, Li conveyed President Xi Jinping's cordial greetings to the king, and said that "China and Thailand are as close as one family", which is a unique advantage in bilateral relations.
Recalling his state visit to China last year, the Thai king said that his meeting with Xi was fruitful and remained fresh in his memory.
Li said China stands ready to work with Thailand to maintain close exchanges, expand cooperation in areas including investment, technological innovation and new energy vehicles, and deepen people-to-people exchanges.
In a meeting with Sophon Zaram, president of Thailand's National Assembly and speaker of the House of Representatives, Li said China is ready to accelerate the construction of the China-Thailand railway, strengthen collaborative innovation and jointly promote industrial upgrading.
The two sides should also strengthen coordination and cooperation in multilateral affairs, and the legislative bodies of the two countries should strengthen exchanges and cooperation, he added.
Sophon said the Thai parliament stands ready to provide a sound legal environment and safeguards for practical and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two sides.
China remained Thailand's largest source of foreign investment applications in the first nine months of this year. In this period, Chinese companies submitted 493 applications for investment promotion, according to data released by the Thailand Board of Investment. The proposed investments were worth approximately 63.39 billion baht ($1.87 billion).
On Saturday, Li attended a symposium in Bangkok with Chinese and Thai entrepreneurs, along with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.
The two sides should upgrade cooperation from "dining tables and taste buds" to "digital intelligence and green development", Li said when calling for greater cooperation in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, clean energy and biomedicine.
Li said the two sides should promote the alignment and mutual recognition of industry standards and jointly move up the global value chain.
Focusing on bilateral cooperation's greater outreach in the region, Li called for leveraging Thailand's geographic advantages and making good use of policy dividends such as the implementation of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol.
The governments of China and Thailand will work hard to provide a sound business environment for the enterprises of both countries and support their long-term development and deeper engagement in local markets, Li said.
Anutin said China is Thailand's most important trading partner, noting that Thailand hopes to seize the opportunities brought about by technological advances. Thailand will introduce more policies and measures to create favorable conditions for the long-term development of Chinese enterprises in the country, combat transnational crime and protect the rights and interests of investors, he added.
Saravoot Yoovidhya, CEO of Thailand's TCP Group, attended the symposium. "Investment is not simply about making strategic moves across borders, but about taking deep root in both markets and empowering each other to achieve shared success," he said.
