Thai Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsonggram has spoken highly of the role that the China-ASEAN dialogue mechanism played in promoting bilateral cooperation, and expected an upcoming summit in China to nurture a broader prospect for future cooperation.

 

China-ASEAN and China-Thai relations have reached a "win-win situation" after a long and positive development, Pibulsonggram said in a recent interview with Bangkok-based Chinese journalists on Tuesday.

 

China and ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) decided to hold a commemorative summit on the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN dialogue in Nanning, the capital city of Guangxi in southern China.

 

Pibulsonggram, who took office earlier this month, will accompany Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont to attend the Oct. 30-31 summit.

 

"Dialogue is what brings people together. And for China and ASEAN, it builds confidence and understanding, and eventually paves the way toward our close relations," he said.

 

"Going to Nanning is important for us to look over the past and to review the relations we have had, which ... have been always very positive," he said, adding that ties between China and ASEAN, of which Thailand is a part, have been very good in the past 15 years.

 

The summit, he said, will see Chinese and ASEAN leaders sign a statement, which will be seen as "a road map, a plan of action, a blueprint" for future China-ASEAN cooperation.

 

The joint statement will have impact not only on the current China-ASEAN ties, but also on the long-term bilateral cooperation, he said.

 

The minister believed that the friendly trade relations between China and Thailand will continue, get deeper, and direct the future China-Thai trade cooperation, as both countries have made great economic and trade achievements, since the establishment of the China-ASEAN dialogue mechanism in 1996.

 

The combined population of ASEAN countries and China reaches almost 2 billion, which provides a huge market for both sides, Pibulsonggram said.

 

He noted much progress has been made in the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement negotiations, and added that the ASEAN-China trade volume has exceeded US$130 billion.

 

Thailand is delighted at the fact that ASEAN and China have signed a trade cooperation agreement on industrial and agricultural products, and looking forward to the signing of a trade agreement on services between the two sides.

 

Referring to the cultural exchanges between Thailand and China, the foreign minister said both sides enjoy very close ties in geography, history and culture.

 

Many people in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries have showed great interest in learning the Chinese language, which has become very much a commercial language in the region.

 

The Thai government, meanwhile, is considering to soon set up a study center in Beijing to help the Chinese, especially the young people, to know more about Thai language and culture.

 

Pibulsonggram believed that the close ties between Thailand and China will be strengthened during the upcoming summit.

 

The ASEAN, which was established on Aug. 8, 1967 in Bangkok, groups 10 countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. ASEAN established the relationship of dialogue and partnership with China in 1996.

 

(Xinhua News Agency October 27, 2006)