Xi Jinping pledges deeper ties during Thai king’s first China visit

China’s president says the 2 countries are similar ‘family’, pledging to ‘strengthen strategical alignment’ with the Southeast Asian nation.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged person ties with Thailand during the first-ever sojourn to China by a reigning Thai monarch.

According to Chinese authorities broadcaster CCTV, Xi connected Friday described the 2 countries arsenic “family”, and told the royals his state would “strengthen strategical alignment” with the Southeast Asian nation.

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King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who has seldom made overseas authorities visits since helium ascended the throne 9 years ago, is successful Beijing with his wife, Queen Suthida, for his archetypal authoritative sojourn to China.

Xi said practice would beryllium expanded connected a China-Thailand railway nexus arsenic good arsenic successful emerging fields similar artificial intelligence, aerospace and the integer economy.

“King Vajiralongkorn’s prime of China arsenic his archetypal large state for a authorities sojourn … afloat demonstrates the precocious value helium attaches to China-Thailand relations,” Xi said, according to CCTV.

Vajiralongkorn described his country’s narration with China arsenic “brotherly cooperation” and expressed his tendency to deepen exchanges successful assorted areas.

The Thai royals were scheduled to sojourn a Buddhist temple and an aerospace improvement hub successful Beijing, arsenic good arsenic be a authorities banquet.

Thailand was a cardinal state of the United States during the Cold War, but China is the kingdom’s biggest trading spouse and progressively a root of subject equipment.

The 2 countries person precocious stepped up a associated crackdown connected telecommunications fraud and amerciable gambling gangs that run successful borderline areas, mostly successful Myanmar, and often people Chinese nationals.

On Wednesday, Thailand extradited Chinese nationalist She Zhijiang, who is allegedly linked to a lucrative scam hub successful Myanmar. He had been successful Thai custody since 2022.

China besides pushed for a ceasefire betwixt Thailand and Cambodia, a adjacent spouse of Beijing, aft borderline clashes successful the summertime caused dozens of deaths.

That truce has proved fragile, with Thailand connected Monday pausing its implementation aft claiming a blast from a recently laid landmine had wounded 4 of its soldiers.

The 2 sides person subsequently traded accusations of further clashes on their border.