Thai PM visits China to strengthen relations

BANGKOK - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Tuesday morning left for Beijing on a three-day official visit to China to strengthen bilateral relations and promote cooperation between Thai and Chinese investors.

The prime minister's official visit to China was scheduled at the invitation of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

The Thai premier said executives from at least 100 companies have been invited to join the trip to discuss and exchange ideas with their Chinese counterparts.

Talks between leaders of the two countries are likely to involve joint development projects on high-speed train, water management, renewable energy, human resources, education and culture. Cooperation under the regional framework such as the ASEAN and the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) will also be discussed.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin announced last week that Chinese leaders would hold talks with Yingluck on bilateral ties as well as international and regional issues of common concern.

According to Chinese Customs statistics, China is the largest export market and second largest import source of Thailand. The two countries' trade volume hit $64.7 billion in 2011.

Yingluck will also attend the meeting of leaders of the Mekong River delta countries in Tokyo, scheduled on April 20-23.