China's new royal chum

Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has long been admired for her efforts to bolster ties between Thailand and China, and now a public poll in China has underscored her success.

The Princess was voted one of China's "10 best international friends" in an online survey by state-run Chinese International Radio (CIR).

Informed of the honour, she told CIR of her wish to see Thais and Chinese "exchange knowledge and extend friendship towards one another".

Speaking in fluent Mandarin, Princess Sirindhorn said she felt honoured to be accepted as a friend of the Chinese people.

"I must learn about the other people on the list too," she said. "I think it's great to let the people know about those who have contributed to China."

The Princess is no stranger to China, having visited 28 times. She's striven to introduce Thais to Chinese history and culture and promoted cultural exchanges.

The efforts would not have been so successful without knowing the language, she's acknowledged, crediting her mother, Her Majesty the Queen, for fostering her interest.

"When I first graduated I thought I might take up German, but my mum pointed out that German, like English, is a Western language, so why not study Chinese, a language of the East, since it would be more beneficial? She was right."

Princess Sirindhorn began learning Mandarin in 1980, with a series of tutors, and taken an interest in all aspects of the culture, travelling extensively around the country.

"Princess Sirindhorn has visited China 28 times in 28 years, once a year on average," notes Professor Fu Zengyou, director of the Confucius Institute at Chulalongkorn University.

"As she says, her visits to China are so frequent that it's like 'visiting relatives'. She's also written several books about China."

The Princess has urged Thai students to sample the culture in China. "Chinese teachers in Thailand are great," she said, "but the learning isn't quite as good as being in the actual place and talking to the native speakers."

Among her writings on China, "Yam Dan Mungkorn" is one of the most popular. She's also translated many works by Chinese writers, like Wang Meng and Fang Fang, to help Thai understanding about the country's politics and society.

And the Princess backed the establishment of the Confucius Institute in 1970, a cooperative venture between Chulalongkorn and Peking University.

Watch CIR's video interview of the Princess at www.NationMultimedia.com.

The 9 other best friends

Norman Bethune, 1890-1939, Canadian

John HD Rabe, 1882-1950, German

Juan Antonio Samaranch, 1920- , Spanish

Edgar Snow, 1905-72, American

Dr Joseph Needham, 1900-95, British

Israel Epstein, 1915-2005, Pole who took Chinese citizenship

Dwarkanath S Kotnis, 1910-42, Indian

Morihiko Hiramatsu, 1924- , Japanese