Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will attend an Asean-China summit on Monday via teleconference to mark the 30th anniversary of their bilateral relations, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said on Sunday.
He said Gen Prayut will take part in the summit from Government House. The session is being co-chaired by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The summit will be crucial for setting the tone for future relations of Asean-China in many aspects, the spokesman said. It will also involve the leaders' discussions of regional and international issues affecting the region.
Asean has granted China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership status. The bloc has overtaken the European Union as China's biggest trade partner, with Asean-China trade amounting to US$732 billion (24 trillion baht).
China’s top five trade partners are Asean, the EU, the United States, Japan and South Korea.
Mr Thanakorn said Gen Prayut will be speaking about ways to build a secure, prosperous and sustainably inclusive future through a people-centric approach that "leaves no one behind".
Thailand will reassert its role in working to overcome global challenges and push for international cooperation on sustainable development, according to the spokesman.
Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi reportedly said on Saturday that China supports Asean's community-building efforts and supports the grouping's centrality in regional architecture and in playing a bigger role in the Asia-Pacific region.
President Xi and leaders of Asean countries will, during the summit, review the achievements and experience of China-Asean relations over the past 30 years to draw up a blueprint for future development and chart the course for bilateral relations in the future, Mr Wang said.