November 19 is the third day and the last day of President Xi Jinping’s trip to Bangkok, Thailand, and the schedule is still very tight. In the morning, continue to attend the 29th APEC Informal Leaders’ Meeting; at noon, hold talks with Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha; in the afternoon, leave for home.
On this day, President Xi focused on two major events: the development and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region, and the friendly cooperation between China and Thailand.
△Video丨Xi Jinping continues to attend the 29th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting
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“Cultivating the Flower of Prosperity for the Common Development of the Asia-Pacific”
On the morning of November 19, President Xi Jinping continued to attend the APEC meeting.
The theme of this year’s APEC meeting is “Openness, Connectivity and Balance”. The day’s meeting focused on sustainable trade and investment issues. President Xi put forward three propositions: we must adhere to genuine multilateralism and maintain the multilateral trading system; we must adhere to inclusiveness and inclusiveness to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results; we must adhere to open regional cooperation to jointly promote prosperity in the Asia-Pacific.
△Bangkok, the APEC flag is flying in the sky. (Photographed by CCTV reporter E Jiefu)
In the speech made by President Xi, and in the manifesto issued at the meeting, there is one word that stands out – the Putrajaya Vision.
What is the Putrajaya Vision?
In 1994, APEC leaders proposed the “Bogor Goals” in Bogor, Indonesia, mainly the goals to be achieved by 2020. In 2020, after the initial realization of the Bogor Goals, the APEC meeting hosted by Malaysia adopted the 2040 Putrajaya Vision, envisioning to build an open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia-Pacific community by 2040, and to realize the and the common prosperity of future generations.
△Bangkok’s Chinatown is full of signboards. (Photographed by CCTV reporter Fan Yiming)
From the “Bogor Goals” to the “Putrajaya Vision”, it is entrusted with the dream of pursuing common prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.
Since 2020, President Xi has been committed to advancing this vision.
On the opening day of this year’s APEC meeting, President Xi said that we have jointly sowed the seeds of Putrajaya’s vision, which should be carefully cultivated and jointly cared for, so as to cultivate the prosperity of the common development of the Asia-Pacific!
△The Chao Phraya River in Bangkok. (Photographed by CCTV reporter Guo Hong)
On November 19, while continuing to attend the APEC meeting, President Xi said that free and open trade and investment are the purposes and principles of APEC and an important pillar for realizing the 2040 Putrajaya vision.
In this speech, President Xi once again emphasized that a comprehensive and high-level Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific should be established as soon as possible. This is also the dream of the Asia-Pacific people for many years. In 2014, APEC leaders launched the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific process in Beijing. President Xi pointed out many times that the road to the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific will not be smooth, but we must always move towards this general direction and goal.
The road is obstructed and long, but the journey is approaching. Keep going, the future can be expected!
△ Outside the Bangkok National Convention Center, the weather is fine. (Photographed by CCTV reporter Guo Hong)
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During the visit to Thailand, there was an important announcement
At noon on the same day, President Xi Jinping held talks with Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at the Prime Minister’s Office in Bangkok.
△In front of the Prime Minister’s Office in Bangkok. (Photographed by CCTV reporter Fan Xueyu)
Since Prayuth became the prime minister of Thailand in 2014, President Xi has received him to visit China five times.
In November of the year he took office, Prime Minister Prayuth came to China to attend the APEC meeting held in Beijing, and President Xi held a meeting with him. Just one month later, President Xi met again with Prime Minister Prayuth who was invited to visit China officially. At that time, President Xi said, “The frequent exchange of visits and meetings between the leaders of the two countries is a vivid manifestation of ‘China and Thailand as one family’.”
△The Chinese flag in front of the Prime Minister’s Office in Bangkok. (Photographed by CCTV reporter Huang Jinghui)
The friendship between China and Thailand has lasted for thousands of years, and the people of the two countries are brothers. In December 2011, when Xi Jinping, the then vice president of the country, visited Thailand, he made a special trip to visit schools in the disaster-stricken areas that suffered severe floods, which fully demonstrated the friendship of the Chinese people.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of China-Thailand comprehensive strategic partnership. In July this year, China and Thailand reached an agreement on the vision and goal of jointly building a China-Thailand community with a shared future.
During the talks on November 19, the leaders of the two countries announced that they will build a more stable, prosperous and sustainable China-Thailand community with a shared future.
△The guard of honor lined up neatly in front of the Prime Minister’s Office in Bangkok. (Photographed by CCTV reporter Guo Hong)
President Xi said that we are standing at a new historical starting point, and we are willing to carry forward the special friendship of “China and Thailand as one family” together with Thailand, build a more stable, more prosperous and more sustainable China-Thailand community of shared future, and endow “China and Thailand as one family” “The connotation of the new era opens up a new era of Sino-Thai relations.
△The scene before the meeting started. (Photographed by CCTV reporter Huang Jinghui)
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One railway connects the three countries
The China-Thailand community of shared future not only marks the height of the relationship between the two countries, but also guides the depth and breadth of strategic cooperation.
Among the ASEAN countries, Thailand took the lead in establishing a strategic cooperative relationship with China. In 2001, the governments of China and Thailand issued a joint communiqué, reaching a consensus on promoting China-Thailand strategic cooperation.
During the talks on November 19, the leaders of the two countries jointly witnessed the signing of cooperation documents such as the “China-Thailand Strategic Cooperation Joint Action Plan (2022-2026)”.
△The national flags of China and Thailand outside the Prime Minister’s Office in Bangkok. (Photographed by CCTV reporter Guo Hong)
During President Xi’s visit this time, railway cooperation was a highlight. At the last stop in Bali, President Xi Jinping and Indonesian President Joko Widodo watched the trial operation of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail together via video. This time in Bangkok, the Chinese and Thai leaders talked about another railway.
In December 2014, China and Thailand signed the “Memorandum of Understanding on Railway Cooperation between China and Thailand”. When meeting with President Xi that month, Prime Minister Prayuth said that Thailand and China reached an agreement on railway cooperation, which is the best New Year gift to the Thai people.
According to the plan, the China-Thailand railway project is divided into two phases. The first phase of the project connects Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima, a gateway to northeastern Thailand. The second phase of the project will extend to Nong Khai, an important border trade town in northeastern Thailand just across the river from Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Connecting with the China-Laos Railway, it forms a railway artery running through the Indochina Peninsula.
△Korat, Thailand, the construction site of the China-Thailand Railway. (Data map)
During the meeting that day, President Xi pointed out that it is necessary to speed up the trilateral railway cooperation between China, Laos and Thailand, actively promote the “China-Laos-Thai Unicom Development Concept”, focus on strengthening the “hard connectivity” of infrastructure, and do a good job in the “soft connectivity” of logistics customs clearance.
Prayuth also said that it is necessary to speed up the construction of the Thailand-China Railway and connect it with the China-Laos Railway, so as to implement the development concept of China-Laos-Thailand Unicom.
△At the meeting site, Xi Jinping spoke here. (Photographed by CCTV reporter Huang Jinghui)
In addition to the landmark cooperation project of China-Thailand Railway, a series of practical cooperation will bring more benefits to the people of the two countries.
During the talks, President Xi pointed out that the two sides should strengthen cooperation in traditional fields such as investment, trade, tourism, infrastructure, and industrial parks, and at the same time continuously cultivate new growth points to promote positive cooperation in new fields such as digital economy, new energy vehicles, and technological innovation. progress.
△China-Thailand Railway will use the Chinese standard “Fuxing” CR300AF EMU technology. This is one of the state gifts Xi Jinping gave to Prayut, the model of the “Fuxing” EMU. (Photographed by CCTV reporter Ma Chao)
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From bilateral cooperation to international cooperation
Thailand is the largest economy in the Indochina Peninsula and an important member of ASEAN. Sino-Thai relations need to be grasped from a higher strategic height.
During their talks on November 19, President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha talked about a wide range of topics such as ASEAN cooperation and Lancang-Mekong cooperation.
△This is one of the national gifts given to Xi Jinping by Prayuth, a tea set with gilt relief patterns. The tea set is made of traditional Thai multicolored porcelain craft. (Photographed by CCTV reporter Huang Jinghui)
Last year marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of China-ASEAN dialogue relations. President Xi presided over the commemorative summit, and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and leaders of other ASEAN countries attended the meeting. The meeting formally announced the establishment of China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership. President Xi proposed to build “Five Great Homes”, that is, Peaceful Homes, Tranquil Homes, Prosperous Homes, Beautiful Homes and Friendly Homes.
During the meeting with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, President Xi said that China is willing to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with Thailand and other ASEAN countries, focus on the construction of the “five major homes”, and continuously release new momentum for China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership.
△This is one of the national gifts given by Xi Jinping to Prayut, General Ma “The House of Gold and Jade”. The body of the horse is decorated with filigree and turquoise, implying that the road ahead is smooth and the road ahead is smooth. (Photographed by CCTV reporter Ma Chao)
In November 2020, ten ASEAN countries and 15 countries including China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand officially signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP), marking the official conclusion of the world‘s largest free trade agreement.
During the talks on November 19, President Xi stated that China is willing to work with all parties including Thailand to implement the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with high quality, so that the world‘s largest free trade zone arrangement can release greater dividends .
△The streets of Bangkok. (Photographed by CCTV reporter Fan Yiming)
Drink water from the same river. China and Thailand are co-participating countries in the Lancang-Mekong cooperation. Thailand is about to take over as co-chair of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation. During this meeting, President Xi pointed out that China is willing to work with Mekong countries to jointly promote the high-quality development of sub-regional cooperation.
China and Thailand are family members. President Xi pointed out that China is willing to strengthen coordination with Thailand in international affairs and make active efforts to jointly promote lasting peace and long-term development in the world. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said that Thailand supports President Xi Jinping’s global development initiatives and global security initiatives, and supports China in playing a greater role in regional and international affairs.
△Bangkok, APEC meeting logo. (Photographed by CCTV reporter Fan Kai)
From November 14th to 19th, from Bali to Bangkok, President Xi Jinping’s trip to Southeast Asia has attracted worldwide attention. In 6 days and 5 nights, President Xi attended more than 30 events intensively. He planned multilateral diplomacy and led bilateral relations.