Ｄｅｌｅｇａｔｉｏｎ Ｌｅｄ ｂｙ Ｆｏｒｍｅｒ Ｔｈａｉ Ｄｅｐｕｔｙ Ｐｒｉｍｅ Ｍｉｎｉｓｔｅｒ Ｐｈｉｎｉｊ Ｊａｒｕｓｏｍｂａｔ Ｖｉｓｉｔｓ Ｑｉｎｇｄａｏ

On the occasion of the first anniversary of the establishment of friendship ties between Qingdao and Chiang Mai of Thailand， a 42-member Thai delegation led by Phinij Jarusombat， former Thai deputy prime minister and vice chairman of the Thai-Chinese Cultural and Economic Association (TCCEA)， and Chanchai Chairungruang， industry minister of Thailand， paid a visit to Qingdao from April 3 to 4. The Qingdao Municipal People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (QMPAFFC) and the TCCVEA signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Friendly Exchanges and Cooperation and held talks on economic and trade exchanges and cooperation. The delegation visited Haier Group， Tsingtao Brewery Co.， Ltd. and Hisense Group. Xia Geng， mayor of Qingdao， met with the delegation.

TCCEA Vice Chairman Phinij Jarusombat， an old friend of Qingdao， has made contribution to promoting cooperation between Thailand and Qingdao， particularly to twinning friendship ties between Chiang Mai and Qingdao.

The Qinghdao Municipal Government will organize and send delegations of famous enterprises from the rubber， electrical household appliances and brewery industries to Thailand as soon as possible and provide convenience and necessary support for these enterprises to do business in Thailand. The Thai Ministry of Commerce plans to hold a fruit festival in Qingdao in June and make Qingdao the logistics centre for Thai products in northern China. With the support of the QMPAFFC and the TCCEA， Qingdao and Chiang Mai will set up bodies in each other’s city to promote cooperation. The newly-appointed governor of Chiang Mai will soon lead a delegation to visit Qingdao to discuss and deepen cooperation in various fields and further strengthen friendly relations between the two sides， and to explore ways to establish mechanism for exchanges between institutions of higher learning and enhance cooperation between teachers and exchanges between students.