China and Thailand signed a pact on a joint action plan for
strategic cooperation yesterday, setting out detailed development
goals for bilateral collaboration.
Visiting Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and several of
his key cabinet members met with President Hu Jintao and Premier
Wen Jiabao yesterday, and held talks to boost bilateral investment
and trade.
Calling Thailand a close friend and trusted partner, Hu said
China has always respected the choice of the Thai people and will
not change the policy of developing the Sino-Thai friendship
despite the changes in the two countries and across the rest of the
world.
Surayud's first official visit to China as prime minister was
supposed to be a four-day affair. But it was cut to two days
because of security fears before an expected landmark court ruling
tomorrow that could affect the future of two major Thai political
parties.
Hu said the joint action plan on strategic cooperation will
provide an impetus to bilateral relations, and hoped that the two
sides work closely to implement the tasks proposed in the
document.
During the meeting with his Thai guests, Wen said the signing of
the joint document will have a positive impact on other ASEAN
member states.
The two countries should maintain the frequency of high-level
exchanges and speed up efforts to increase the two-way trade volume
to $50 billion by 2010, he said.
The premier urged Thailand to boost bilateral trade, especially
through the neighboring provinces of the two countries.
Surayud told Wen that his country, too, hopes to enhance
cooperation with China in the fields of transportation, shipping
and logistics.
Also, he encouraged Chinese enterprises to help in the
construction of infrastructure and industrial parks in
Thailand.
The two prime ministers also witnessed the signing of an
agreement on the mutual recognition of academic degrees in higher
education.
(China Daily May 29, 2007)
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