Profound Friendship Between Kith and Kin

On early March it was still cold in Beijing， but in Bangkok over 2，000 kilometers south， it was very hot. In such a time of seasonal change， a 50-member Chinese youth delegation headed by Li Xikuei， Secretary General of the CPAFFC， made a six-day visit under the Thai-Chinese Young Executive Program （TCYEP） to inject even more warmth.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. To enhance exchanges and understanding between Chinese and Thai young people， solidify the basis of China-Thailand comprehensive strategic partnership and develop successors to carry on China-Thailand friendship， the TCYEP， jointly sponsored by the CPAFFC， the Chinese Embassy in Thailand and the Thai-Chinese Culture and Economy Association （TCCEA）， was held from March 1 to 7.

This involved 50 people from each side under the age of 45 representing political， economic， financial， medical， health， cultural， educational and media circles.

They were divided into groups identified by five colors， each member having a friend from the other country. By visiting and living together， they enhanced mutual understanding and forged friendship. The interactions between the participants showed that the close relationship between China and Thailand is like a family.

A participant from the China National Offshore Oil Corporation （CNOOC） said he had been to many Southeast Asian countries， but， he preferred to travel to quiet places and so had intentionally avoided Thailand because of a perception it was always crowded with tourists， including many from China. This time， as a member of the Chinese youth delegation， he felt more relaxed than when travelling on his own and the visit had been more rewarding.

He not only learned about Thai local customs and practices and enjoyed its beautiful scenery and delicious food， but also found that Thai young people perfectly combined tradition and modernity in their way of life and experienced the close China-Thailand friendship.

The head of the Thai youth delegation said there existed deep fraternal friendship between Thailand and China. This activity had furthered mutual understanding and built a bridge of friendship for future cooperation. He had visited China almost once every two years and was always amazed at its rapid progress and tremendous process of change. Now he had made so many young Chinese friends， he would visit China even more often.

A Thai delegate engaged in textile trade said he had made more trips to China in recent years for doing business with his Chinese partners and this had enabled him to speak a little Chinese. Some Thai participants who had studied in China could not only speak Chinese， but had also installed WeChat， a popular instant messaging system in China， in their mobile phones.

Despite their busy schedule， top leaders of the Thai Government and Parliament and even a member of the Royal Family received the delegation， with the help of the Chinese Embassy in Thailand and the TCCEA.

On March 5， on behalf of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha， Deputy Prime Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula met with all the participants and welcomed the Chinese youth delegation’s visit. He said that the youth exchange activity held on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties would further promote friendly relations between the two governments and enhance the friendship between the two peoples.

Since the two countries signed the communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1975， much progress had been made. Last year， Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha made a successful visit to China and had talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top Chinese leaders. Vice Prime Minister Pridiyathorn said there was certainly room for greater development.

He also briefed the delegation on Thailand’s economic and investment policies and answered questions. When a Chinese delegate from the Xinhua News Agency asked about the development of e-commerce in Thailand， the Deputy Prime Minister said， he knew that the Chinese Government attached great importance to this， leading to great development of other industries such as logistics. The Thai Government would carry out policies and regulations in line with its national conditions and encourage more innovation and development in the e-commerce. Thailand would welcome Chinese enterprises to be involved in the development of e-commerce in Thailand.

On the morning of March 5， Pornpetch Wichitcholchai， President of the National Legislative Assembly （NLA）， took time off to meet the Chinese and Thai youth delegation during the NLA session and briefed them on assembly work. He hoped that the youth of the two countries would increase contacts， deepen mutual understanding and carry forward the Thailand-China friendship.

After the meeting， he invited the delegations to observe the NLA session. Sitting in the public gallery on the second floor of the Assembly Hall， the Chinese and Thai young people watched the assemblymen speaking passionately and debating heatedly. For the Chinese youth， though they did not understand what was being said， the visit to the NLA， a core organ of the country’s political system， was highly worthwhile.

It is a great honor to be received by members of the Royal Family for ordinary Thai people， let alone foreign visitors. When news came that Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn would give an audience， both the Chinese and Thai delegation members were overjoyed.

Born in Bangkok in April 1955， she is the second daughter of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej. She admires Chinese culture， especially likes reading Chinese classic novels， Tang and Song poetry， and The Historical Records， and has great attainments in literature， music and painting. Her love of the Chinese language has greatly helped the popularization of Chinese language teaching in Thailand. She has published ten books about her visits to China， objectively introducing Chinese culture to the Thai people.

Since 1981， she has traveled all over China. On February 26， 2004 during her 18th visit to China， the CPAFFC conferred upon her the title of Friendship Ambassador in recognition of her contributions to the promotion of Thailand-China friendship.

On the afternoon of March 5， Princess Sirindhorn cordially met the delegations. She listened to the reports by the heads of the two sides， Chinese Ambassador to Thailand Ning Fukuei， TCCEA President Bhokin Bhalakula， and fully affirmed the importance of the Thai-Chinese Young Executive Program.

Li Xikuei， leader of the Chinese delegation， thanked the Princess for meeting them in the midst of her pressing affairs， conveyed warm regards to her from China-ASEAN Association President Gu Xiulian and CPAFFC President Li Xiaolin. Li said Princess Sirindhorn， an old friend of the Chinese people and the CPAFFC， had， over the years， worked hard to promote Thailand-China friendship and that she fully deserved the title of Friendship Ambassador.

He expressed the CPAFFC’s willingness to work together with the Princess to make continuous efforts to further the people-to-people friendship between the two countries. Li spoke highly of the student lunch project financed by the Princess， saying it reflected her profound thinking on education， public welfare and environmental protection. He wished the Princess a happy 60th birthday and good health.

After the reports， Princess Sirindhorn stood up from her seat and came up to the head of the Chinese delegation and Chinese Ambassador to Thailand， talking with them cordially in Chinese. Her plain and simple dress and amiable smile showed her love of and closeness to the people. In conversation， she said jokingly， that it was a pity the age limit for the TCYEP participants was 45 as she would have joined if younger.

Princess Sirindhorn had pictures taken with the TCYEP participants who were divided into three groups. The sun was setting when she rose from her chair and waved goodbye. The sunset rays reached the Palace’s reception hall through the windows and shone on her smiling face. It was the most beautiful scene.

The profound friendship between our two countries and peoples made us feel like we were one family. Time with friends always seems short. Just as Li Xikuei said at the farewell reception， “We have met too late， the get-together is too short and the parting too hard.” But through this six-day activity， the beautiful story of “China and Thailand are kith and kin” will be told by more people. We have reason to believe that such visits will be more frequent， more new friends will be made， and friendship between our two peoples will be long-lasting.