Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai is in talks with the governor of Yunnan province, trying to strengthen trade relations by facilitating fruit exports at border checkpoints.
Mr Phumtham led a trade delegation to Yunnan on April 29 aiming to increase trade between the nations, particularly Thai exports of fruit and processed fruit.
The Thai government is committed to bolstering trade cooperation with Yunnan province via the Nong Khai-Vientiane-Yunnan railway.
A second route is on the R3A highway from Chiang Khong in Chiang Rai province to Kunming in China, using the Boten checkpoint in Laos and Mohan checkpoint in China.
A third route under discussion is shipping from Chiang Saen port to Guan Lei port, connecting cargo from Chiang Rai to Kunming.
The Chinese side pledged to monitor and facilitate trade on all three routes, he said.
The southwestern Chinese province acts as a gateway to western China, connecting East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia.
Mr Phumtham commended the Chinese government for its efforts to reduce trade barriers, extending the opening and closing times of border checkpoints and reducing congestion.
China is also working to expand the road from the original two lanes to 12 lanes, with an estimated completion date of two years.
This should benefit both countries as Thailand can send fresh, quality products to China and reduce logistics costs, he said.
"Thailand is also in talks with China's Customs Department to allow the import of live cattle, frozen beef and seasonal fruit," said Mr Phumtham.
"We are willing to comply with Chinese regulations and hopefully the governor will expedite this request."
Yunnan is the closest Chinese province to Thailand and plays a vital role in the export of Thai fruit via the R3A route.
Thailand exports fresh fruit to China by land at six Thai border checkpoints: Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Chiang Khong, Nong Khai, Ban Phakkad in Chanthaburi, and Bung Kan.
Last year, Thailand exported edible fruit and nuts to Yunnan valued at US$1.68 billion (62.2 billion baht), up 33.6% from 2022, accounting for 27% of all fruit and nut products sent to China.