On 30 June 2013, prior to the 46th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam, Mr. Surapong Tovichakchaikul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, had a bilateral discussion with Mr. Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, to discuss issues of mutual interest.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Surapong informed Foreign Minister Wang Yi that Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra looks forward to meeting the Chinese President and Premier during her upcoming visit to China on 1 - 3 September 2013, during which she will also attend the 10th ASEAN-China EXPO in Nanning. This visit at the highest level would further strengthen Thailand’s relations with China, especially with the new Chinese leadership.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi welcomed Thailand’s proposal to convene the Conference on Sustainable Development in the Lancang-Mekong Sub-Region in January 2014 to address challenges faced by all riparian countries and to explore possible cooperation for sustainable development of the sub-region. China agreed to be involved with the Conference at the beginning and would discuss with Thailand, at a working level, the concept and possible outcome of the Conference to make sure that it would not overlap with other existing frameworks.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Surapong welcomed the appointment of State Councilor Wang Yong to co-chair the 3rd China-Thailand Joint Committee on Economic and Trade Cooperation, to be held in China. Both sides agreed to convene the Committee’s Meeting soon.
Both Foreign Ministers expressed their satisfaction with the overall progress made in the ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations and underscored the importance of highlighting the achievements made under the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership over the past decade in strengthening cooperation in multi-faceted areas. On the South China Sea issue, both sides shared the view that this issue should not overshadow the overall ASEAN-China relations, which are far more comprehensive. In this regard, the Thai side appreciated China’s readiness to host the 6th Senior Officials’ Meeting and the 9th Meeting of the Joint Working Group on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in September 2013, during which all parties will have in-depth exchange of views on the full and effective implementation of the DOC and enhance maritime cooperation, and at the same time, will have the official consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) within the framework of the implementation of the DOC.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Surapong also invited Foreign Minister Wang Yi to the High-Level Forum on the 10th Anniversary of ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership, which will be held in Bangkok on 2 August 2013, to which Foreign Minister Wang Yi agreed to attend.
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