President Xi’s visit to Thailand to inject vitality to China-Thai relations: Thai politicians and expert

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the 29th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, as well as visit Thailand from November 17 to 19. Thai politicians and academics have praised the visit as a "step that would further improve bilateral ties between China and Thailand," as it coincides with the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the two countries' comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

“China’s influence extends to all countries and people worldwide, making President Xi’s attendance at this year’s APEC immensely significant. President Xi’s (upcoming) speech (at APEC) will have a significant impact on international economic development, and there will be an increase in China-Thai cooperation,” Phinij Jarusombat, former Thai vice prime minister, told People’s Daily Online.

Echoing Phinij, Abhisit Vejjajiva, former Thai Prime Minister, noted that Xi has made noticeable changes to China over the 10 years, and has put out a variety of initiatives for the regional and global development.

“There is no denying that over the past 10 years President Xi has made noticeable changes to China. He has achieved strides in economic development, and improvements in living standards and poverty alleviation,” said Abhisit.

In addition to China-Thai cooperation under the framework of APEC, an expert from Thailand also speak highly of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), hoping it can bring more new opportunities to Thailand’s future development.

“Regarding China’s role in global affairs, the BRI launched by President Xi Jinping in 2013 is an obvious example showing that China is ready to become a leading force in global economic development.” Sitthiphon Kruarattikan, associate professor of history at Thammasat University, told People’s Daily Online.

The BRI aims to improve connectivity between China and the world through infrastructure investment and regional cooperation, and has the potential to significantly accelerate global economic integration and development. The general public in Thailand agrees that linkage and connectivity between China and Southeast Asia would be beneficial for both national and regional economies,” added Sitthiphon .