BANGKOK (The Nation/Asia News Network): Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin is scheduled to visit China next week, during which he would meet with President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday (Oct 13).
During his four-day official visit from Oct 16-19, Srettha will also attend the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be held in Beijing.
The Thai prime minister will be attending the international conference at the invitation of Xi, and he will be visiting China at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, according to the ministry.
During his visit, Srettha is scheduled to call on President Xi and Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of China’s National People's Congress.
The Thai PM will also meet with his Chinese counterpart, Li Qiang, to discuss bilateral ties, according to the Thai Foreign Ministry.
His official visit to China is aimed at strengthening the strategic partnership between Thailand and China while boosting bilateral cooperation in various areas, particularly involving trade, investment, connectivity, and people-to-people ties, the ministry said.
This will be PM Srettha’s first visit to mainland China after assuming office in late August.
He visited Hong Kong, China’s special administrative region, last Monday (Oct 9), when he met with John Lee Ka-chiu, chief executive of Hong Kong SAR, to strengthen trade and investment cooperation, and with leading representatives of the private sector to discuss investment opportunities in Thailand.
Srettha’s delegation will also meet with Chinese business leaders to discuss closer cooperation in trade and investment between the two countries.
The prime minister will give a speech on Thailand’s important economic policies.
A delegation of Thai business leaders will accompany PM Srettha during his official China visit. They will attend activities aimed at boosting bilateral trade and investment.
China contributed 20% of Thailand’s total foreign direct investment of 304 billion baht in the first six months of 2023, the largest portion of FDI, according to the Board of Investment.
