The Chinese ambassador Sunday praised the state of Sino-Thai relations while marking the 43rd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the China and Thailand.
Lyu Jian, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Thailand, emphasised "the principle of mutual respect, equity, justice and win-win cooperation", which he said was at the core of the relationship.
He also said he expects further development strategies such as synergy of the Belt and Road Initiative with the Thailand 4.0 Strategy and the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) will create favourable conditions for broader and closer cooperation as well as an increase in trade with Thailand.
China has been Thailand's largest trade partner for five consecutive years, and the third largest source of investment into the country.
Meanwhile, Thailand is the third largest trading partner of China in Asean.
"We should, on the one hand, increase the use of technology in traditional industrial cooperation; and on the other hand, encourage cooperation in new industries, conduct more cooperation in modern agriculture, digital economy, high-end manufacturing, new energy and other fields, and make sure that the high-speed rail cooperation will deliver benefits to people living along the railway line as soon as possible," he said.
With Thailand set to participate in the first China International Import Expo in Shanghai in November, the ambassador said China is ready to set up a platform for showcasing Thai products and services.
"We should strengthen all-round and profound people-to-people and cultural exchanges. There are 37,000 Chinese students in Thailand, and 27,000 Thai students in China. Around 1,700 volunteers for Chinese language teaching are working in different parts of Thailand," the ambassador suggested, adding that Thailand received nearly 10 million Chinese tourists last year.
As Thailand will be the chair of Asean next year, China wants to collaborate on upgrading China-Asean cooperation, push forward Lancang-Mekong collaboration and enhance coordination in global governance and sustainable development, he said.