The ruling Pheu Thai Party has proposed setting up a joint committee with the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), mainly focusing on border trading development, Pheu Thai secretary-general Sorawong Thienthong said on Tuesday.
Mr Sorawong said he joined party leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra and its spokesman Danuporn Punnakanta for the bilateral meeting with former Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen at Makara Palace in Phnom Penh on Monday.
He said the Thai delegates proposed that Hun Sen set up the party-by-party committee, which is supposed to include the Thai MPs representing seven provinces along the Thai-Cambodian border and members of the Cambodian ruling party, to work on border trading.
Its work would aim to turn those provinces into marketplaces, which is supposed to support the government's financial target for Thailand-Cambodia border trading. The policy aims to ensure that hits 525 billion baht next year, he said.
"The committee will work for the public benefit, aiming for peace and economic value for Asean at the same time," he said.
Hun Sen also shared his experience of managing a political party, said Mr Sorawong.
Since younger politicians have joined the cabinets of both countries, Hun Sen suggested that Pheu Thai provide its members with upskilling opportunities.
He also suggested Pheu Thai foster closer connections among its members to help support the implementation of the party's vision, adding that at least 7.2 million people, or almost half of the Cambodian population, are now CPP members.
Hun Sen also agreed with Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin's idea for seamless tourism under the "6 Countries, 1 Destination" project the Thai government proposed during the Asean Summit.
Later, Ms Paetongtarn posted on her X account that it was a great honour to receive suggestions about party management and political work from Hun Sen.
"It was a great pleasure to build on our cordial relations and, more importantly, to learn from the experiences of such a distinguished leader," she wrote.
Mr Srettha told the media before the mobile cabinet meeting at Phayao University that the party's trip to Cambodia was beneficial for the government due to its close relationship with the neighbouring nation, adding that the more meetings between them, the better.
Mr Srettha was scheduled to attend the mobile cabinet meeting in Phayao, which ended on Tuesday.
However, he said Hun Sen's assistant had sent a message to him this morning, noting that Hun Sen had mentioned him during the talks.