Thai Prime
Minister Yingluck Shinawatra will start a three-day official visit to China on
Tuesdayat the invitation of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. Following is her
written interview with ChinaDaily prior to the visit.
1. What do you
think of the current level of China-Thailand ties? Is there any area thatboth
sides can work together to improve?
Thai-Chinese relations remain close and cordial and are moving forward
rapidly and smoothlyin all key areas, including trade, investment, tourism,
science and technology, health, educationand culture. Trade and investment, in
particular, are the two areas that have seen the mostrapid expansion. China is
our 2nd largest trading partner, while Thailand is China’s 14thlargest. This
makes China an important market for Thailand. At the same time, China is also
animportant investment source for Thailand. Chinese investors regard Thailand
as an attractiveinvestment destination in many fields, including
infrastructure, agricultural and alternativeenergy.
Recently, during the official visit to Thailand of H.E. Mr. Xi Jinping,
Vice President of thePeople’s Republic of China in December 2011, we signed the
Memorandum of Understandingon Cooperation on Sustainable Development in
Thailand, which demonstrates thedetermination of our two Governments to
implement concrete cooperation in 4 areas, namely,high-speed railways, water
management systems, alternative energy, and education andhuman resources
development. These will be the key areas of cooperation on which our
twoGovernments will be working closely together in the years to come.
For the next period of Sino-Thai relations, our two Governments have
agreed to enhance,broaden and deepen our cooperation to be a comprehensive
strategic cooperative partnershipin order to generate greater concrete benefits
for our two countries and peoples, as well aspeace, stability and
socio-economic prosperity in the region and beyond.
I am confident that my official visit to China will further strengthen
our existing cordial friendshipand bring about more fruitful and concrete
cooperation between our two countries and peoples.
2. We all know
that Chinese police in mid-December started joint patrols with
theircounterparts from Laos, Myanmar and Thailand to maintain security along
the MekongRiver. How do you comment on the joint patrol?
The Thai side is ready to participate in the cooperation on patrol in
the Mekong River under the4 party mechanism framework which was agreed upon
between China, Myanmar, Laos andThailand in October 2011.
As the Mekong River is an important waterway for transport of goods,
tourism and people-to-people contacts for all 4 nations, Thailand supports the
aim of the 4 party mechanism which willincrease safety and security of riverine
traffic in the region.
Thailand believes that the cooperation on patrol in the Mekong River by
itself cannot bringabout sustainable safety and security for riverine traffic.
All 4 participating nations must furthercooperate to address the root causes of
the issue by ensuring the continuous enforcement ofrelevant laws in other
areas, particularly on combating transnational crime on the Mekong Riversuch as
the trafficking of narcotic drugs, weapons and humans, and illegal immigration.
Areasadjacent to the banks of the Mekong River should be jointly developed by
all sides in order toimprove living standards of the people in the area.
3. How do you
comment on China's peaceful development and China's ties withASEAN countries?
Is there any area you think that China should improve to boost theties with
these countries?
For the past 20 years, ASEAN and China have been partners in
development. China shareswith ASEAN the same goal of peaceful development,
which has enabled the region to focus oneconomic and social development,
benefits from economic growth while becoming resilient tothe on-going global
financial crisis. Indeed China is an engine of growth that can help spur
thedevelopment of the entire region.
This was most clearly seen in China’s vital role in helpingAsia recover
from the global financial crisis in 2009.
On areas to deepen our ties, China is already ahead of the game in
identifying areas ofcooperation with ASEAN. At the 14th ASEAN-China Summit in
Bali in November 2011, PremierWen made a number of key proposals such as the
establishment of the ASEAN-ChinaConnectivity Cooperation Committee, the 3
billion Yuan ASEAN-China Maritime CooperationFund and the communication channel
between the ASEAN Disaster Management HumanitarianAssistance Coordinating
Centre and China’s relevant authorities, all of which were warmlywelcomed by
ASEAN. He also proposed to designate 2012 as the year of ASEAN-Chinascience and
technology cooperation.
China has proven to be a responsible and constructive partner of ASEAN,
and I hope thatChina will continue to play a constructive role and contribute
to maintaining peace, stability andsocio-economic development in the region.
4. What role do
you think China plays in the development of Thailand and otherASEAN countries?
Do you think Thailand will contribute as a coordinator to promoteChina-ASEAN
ties?
Apart from the expansion of our trade and investment, the Governments
of our two countriesare now working closely to implement the Memorandum of
Understanding on Cooperation onSustainable Development in Thailand. Cooperation
under this MOU is a good example of howChina’s expertise and technology could
assist Thailand to advance its development for thebetterment of the Thai
people.
In the regional context, China is the most active dialogue partner of
ASEAN and has played akey role in the development of ASEAN, including ASEAN
Community building efforts. Thailandappreciates China’s role and efforts in
bridging the transportation gap and fostering economiccooperation in the
region, particularly under the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) framework,which
will support the full realization of connectivity in ASEAN and provide greater
businessopportunities in terms of trade, investment, tourism and people –to-
people interactions,especially along the economic corridors in the region. This
benefits Thailand’s economicdevelopment as well.
ASEAN and China have also agreed to cooperate on eleven priority areas
of cooperation,namely agriculture, information and communication technology,
human resource development,Mekong Basin Development, investment, energy,
transport, culture, public health, tourism andenvironment.
As an incoming country coordinator of ASEAN-China relations, Thailand
is committed tocontinue the good progress and momentum achieved between ASEAN
and China thus far andwill put particular emphasis on 3Cs comprising of
community, connectivity, and code of conductthrough close coordination and
regular consultation.
5. Female
politicians are getting more power these years. As the first female ThaiPrime
Minister, what kind of advantages do you think you have compared to yourmale
colleagues?
While some believe that femininity makes women weak, I believe that a
woman’s gentleness,empathy and sensitivity are important advantages.
Furthermore, we have a lot of problems tosolve, particularly on the issue of
reconciliation. My strength as a woman is that I am better ableto achieve
compromise, and I am more patient than some of the men.
chinadaily.com.cn
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