On 18 November 2011, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung of Vietnam, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda of Japan and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao of China, gist as follows:
1. Vietnam
Both sides expressed condolence for the current flood situation in both Thailand and Vietnam. They are of the view that disaster prevention and management, in particular, water management and cooperation with Laos and Cambodia on the Mekong River, were very essential. Moreover, both sides agreed to cooperate in the area of food security, given that both Thailand and Vietnam are considered leading world rice exporters, as well as agreed to convene the Thailand-Vietnam Joint Cabinet Meeting in due time.
2. Japan
Both sides discussed overall bilateral as well as multilateral relations. In terms of Thai-Japanese relations, Prime Minister Yingluck thanked Japan for the flood relief assistance rendered to the country and took the opportunity to inform Prime Minister Noda of the current situation in Thailand and the country’s relief plan (in particular the assistance measures to industrial and private sectors such as loans, arrangements on machinery imports and visa for Japanese technicians, as well as Thailand’s prevention measures with regard to natural disaster). In turn, Prime Minister Noda thanked the Royal Thai Government for the implementation of the above measures and will give his full support to Thailand.
Prime Minister Yingluck also updated Prime Minister Noda on the progress of the investigation of the death of Mr. Muramoto, the Japanese reporter, on 10 April 2010, which the Japanese side acknowledged with appreciation.
As for regional cooperation, both sides agreed to push forward concrete results for the East Asia Summit (EAS) meeting on 19 November 2011, issues such as disaster management, maritime security and cooperation under the Mekong-Japan Framework.
3. China
Discussions focus on relations at both the bilateral and multilateral levels. With regard to bilateral relations, Prime Minister Yingluck thanked China for the flood relief assistance rendered to Thailand, as well as took the opportunity to inform the Chinese Prime Minister of the current situation in Thailand and the relief and rehabilitation measures the Government would provide. In this regard, the Chinese Prime Minister gave his full support to Thailand, especially in the area of irrigation. Both sides also agreed to step up bilateral relations in other various areas, for example, the exchange of high-level visits, increasing Thai agricultural exports to China, the promotion of Chinese investments in Thailand, as well as implementing the high-speed train project in the country.
As for multilateral cooperation, both sides agreed to step up cooperation in the area of maritime security in the Mekong River, as discussed earlier between Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and China in Beijing. They were also of the view that increasing cooperation in the East Asian region was necessary, both in the context of ASEAN and the United Nations.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th