Spotlight: China, Thailand eye closer agriculture, railway cooperation (2)

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (center L) and Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha (center R) attend the signing ceremony of two memoranda of understanding on railway cooperation and farm produce trade cooperation respectively after they met in Bangkok, Thailand, Dec. 19, 2014. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

The new railway will also benefit neighboring countries if being extended to other places of the region, Li said.

Chinese standards, equipment and manufacturing capacity will all be used in building the Thai railway, which helps China export its manufacturing capacity to the rest of the world, Li said.

For his part, Prayut said Thailand and China are friends sharing weal and woe, and his country highly values its relations with China.

Bilateral cooperation on railway and farm produce trade is of vital significance to Thailand, and is conducive to regional inter-connectivity and development, said Prayut, adding that Thailand will cooperate closely with the Chinese side to facilitate the implementation of relevant cooperation agreements.

Thailand, he said, will take the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties next year as an opportunity to elevate its relationship with China to a new height.

Li is here to attend the fifth summit of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Economic Cooperation.

The Chinese premier said he looks forward to having an extensive exchange of views with all parties on deepening regional trade and economic cooperation, enhancing inter-connectivity and promoting innovation in industrial cooperation.

Hailing China's "crucial" role in the GMS, Prayut said Thailand is willing to join hands with China and other parties of the GMS mechanism for more fruitful results.

The GMS Economic Cooperation Program, which was started in 1992 by six countries along the Mekong River -- Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, aims to pool their efforts for improving infrastructure, promoting trade and investment and stimulating economic growth.

On a broader scale, Li said, the GMS cooperation will further enrich China's partnership with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

China, he added, stands ready to cultivate stable, peaceful and friendly relations with its ASEAN neighbors.