Published on August 26, 2005

Thailand and China will complete an action plan to map out a “strategic partnership” by the end of the year, Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon said yesterday.

The minister discussed the plan and ways to boost bilateral ties during a meeting with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao here.

Building on three decades of diplomatic ties, the plan will serve as a comprehensive framework for future relations between the two countries, Kantathi said.

It will cover a wide range of areas of cooperation, including politics, economic ties, security, culture, and science and technology, he added.

Kantathi arrived in Beijing yesterday on a three-day official visit. His main task is to make progress on the action plan, which was initiated by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra during his visit to China in June.

On the security front, the plan is to see the two countries cooperate further in the fight against terrorism by exchanging more intelligence information.

China and Thailand will also step up cooperation on non-traditional security issues such as preventing the spread of diseases across borders, Kantathi said.

The countries are expected to sign the action plan in December, when Wen is scheduled to visit Thailand, he said. The plan will be in effect for five years.

China will be the second country after France with which Thailand has adopted an action plan to map out strategic relations.

The Kingdom is negotiating a similar plan with the United States, the minister said. China and Thailand regard their relations as “brotherly ties”, Kantathi said.

Thailand is looking to ride on the coattails of China’s rapidly growing economic and political power, while Beijing considers the Kingdom a gateway to Southeast Asia.

Bangkok has shown the international community that it considers China as “the first among equals”, Kantathi said, while Wen told Kantathi that he had had more meetings with Thaksin than with any other foreign leader.

To increase access to the global powerhouse, Thailand will soon open five more consulates – in Xian, Nanning, Qingdao, Haikou and Dalian.

Along with its embassy in Beijing, Thailand has consulates in Shanghai, Kunming, Chengdu, Xiamen and Guangzhou.

Supalak Ganjanakhundee

The Nation

Beijing

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