Stories of state gifts from Xi: Model of Fuxing bullet train advances joint construction of Belt and Road

From Nov. 17 to 19, 2022, Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand and paid a state visit to Thailand. During his first trip to the country as Chinese President, Xi presented a state gift- a model of a Fuxing bullet train, to Thailand.

Photo shows a model of a Fuxing bullet train presented by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha as a state gift. (Photo/CCTV)

The model is painted the same color as the national flag of Thailand, and the Fuxing bullet train based on which the model was created will run along the China-Thailand railway after the route opens to traffic.

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at the Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, on Nov. 19, 2022. (Photo/Yao Dawei)

As a flagship Belt and Road project jointly conducted by China and Thailand, and Thailand's first standard-gauge high-speed railway, the China-Thailand railway relies on the advanced technology of the Fuxing bullet train.

When completed, the China-Thailand railway will take trains to the border town of Nong Khai, where a bridge will connect it with the China-Laos railway. The two railways, when connected, will become an artery that is able to drive the development of the region.

This aerial photo taken on Nov. 10, 2022 shows a construction site of the China-Thailand railway in Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand. (Xinhua/Wang Teng)

As China and Thailand further strengthen infrastructure connectivity, trade and cultural cooperation between the two countries has entered the fast lane of development. In 2021, trade between China and Thailand reached $131.2 billion, a year-on-year increase of 33 percent.

China and Thailand are good neighbors, good friends and good partners, and the joint construction of the Belt and Road has brought the two countries even closer to each other.