Thai—Chinese Association VP： CPC National Congress Draws Great Attention

Shi Guang

Thai-Chinese Cultural and Economic Association Vice President and Secretary General Paisal Puechmongkol looks forward to Thailand taking on greater role in the Belt and Road Initiative.

The Thai-Chinese Cultural and Economic Association （TCCEA） was founded by former Thai Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh in 1993. Since its founding， TCCEA has played a positive role in promoting the friendly cooperation between China and Thailand. China Report ASEAN sat down with Paisal Puechmongkol， vice president and secretary general of TCCEA， to speak about the achievements of the 19th Communist Party of China （CPC） National Congress and the prospects of Sino-Thai cooperation.

>>China Report ASEAN： A thematic briefing on the achievements of the 19th CPC National Congress was held in Bangkok on Jan. 8. Your association served as Thailands main organizer and host of the event. Why did you decide to organize this event？

Paisal Puechmongkol： This event was co-sponsored by the International Department of the CPC Central Committee， the Chinese Embassy in Thailand and TCCEA. The event received widespread attention from the local population. More than 300 guests attended the briefing — far outnumbering our initial number of expected guests， which was 150.

We were very pleased to have invited Meng Xiangfeng， deputy secretary of the Work Committee for Departments Directly Under the CPC Central Committee and deputy director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee， to the briefing. Meng delivered a keynote speech at the briefing. He was the first high-ranking CPC official to come to Thailand to introduce to us the details of the achievements of the 19th CPC Congress. Representatives of Thai political parties， entrepreneurs， academia and media attended the briefing， displaying the interest of the entire Thai society in the achievements of the 19th CPC Congress.

After the 18th CPC National Congress， with the support of the Chinese side， TCCEA organized a series of briefings on the achievements of the Congress. As we understand， General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping has comprehensively strengthened Party discipline and Party building， which injected fresh impetus to its development.

When the 19th CPC National Congress was in session， we read in the Thai media some contents of General Secretary Xi Jinpings report. We also followed analysis and interpretation from experts around the world. At the briefing， Meng made a more comprehensive presentation on the 19th CPC Congress. He pointed out that under the leadership of General Secretary Xi， the CPC has carried out a series of reforms， which is crucial in terms of efforts for the Party to meet the requirements of development in the new era.

>>China Report ASEAN： You once said that the 19th CPC National Congress is of great historical significance not only to China but also to the whole world. Would you please elaborate on this point？

Paisal Puechmongkol： Since the 18th CPC National Congress was held， China has entered a period of rapid development. The Chinese economy is reaching the global forefront. The Chinese currency renminbi has been officially included in the International Monetary Funds special drawing rights （SDR） basket as an international reserve currency. In diplomacy， China is playing an increasingly important role on the international stage. A new chapter has been opened for the prosperity and development of China. In scientific innovation， the worlds first quantum science experimental satellite “Mozi” and quantum computer are taking on a lead position in the world.

The 19th CPC Congress further consolidated Xi Jinpings position as the core of the whole Party， laying a foundation for the CPC to grow stronger， and for the people to have more confidence and support for the Party. On the world stage， as the leader of a major power， Xis position and role have been recognized all over the world. Thats also why Thai society is so interested in the development of China.

What is noteworthy is that shortly after the Congress， the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting was held in Beijing. Delegates representing nearly 300 political parties and organizations from all over the world attended the meeting， showing global recognition of the achievements of the 19th CPC Congress. Such a success has never been seen before in any country in history， indicating the influence of the Congress.

>>China Report ASEAN： Of all the achievements of the 19th CPC National Congress， which are you most interested in？ Why？

Paisal Puechmongkol： The Congress established the principle of innovative， coordinated， green， open and shared development. This vision of peaceful development and common prosperity is brand new. Chinas development will follow the path of peace and win-win cooperation with other countries. In the course of implementing the Belt and Road Initiative， China has advocated that all parties should join hands to meet the global challenges under the principles of extensive consultation， joint contribution and shared benefits. The Initiative also enables countries to create new development opportunities and impetus， and leverage their comparative advantages for win-win results. I believe that all the countries along the route， including Thailand， will benefit from the Initiative.

Although the 19th CPC Congress concluded not long ago， it is having a global impact， an indication of the worlds common aspiration for peace and development. Both the 18th and 19th Congresses advocated peace and development. They will be proven to have a major impact on global development. Theres no doubt that China will play a more positive role in global governance in the future.

>>China Report ASEAN： The report of the 19th CPC National Congress made multiple references to the Belt and Road Initiative. What are your views on the Belt and Road？

Paisal Puechmongkol： Since the 18th Congress， Xi Jinping has carried out all-round reform within Chinese society and the CPC， leading China into a new era. The Belt and Road Initiative has advocated the connectivity of policy， transportation， trade， finance and people between China and countries along the route. It has also put forward the idea of sharing the fruits of economic development with neighboring countries.

We once invited descendants of Zheng He （1371-1435， a great Chinese navigator and explorer） to attend a special seminar on Zheng Hes voyages to the western sea， which attracted many participants. A large number of thematic seminars on the Belt and Road have been held in China， Thailand and other parts of the world. Our association has taken an active part in the seminars. We have also organized representatives of various sectors and the media to attend the seminars. At a seminar in Indonesia， the president of our association Pokin Pollakul delivered a keynote speech， which was very well received. The perspective of third parties proves that Chinas vision of peaceful and shared development has won support from the countries along the route.

>>China Report ASEAN： In what areas do you think China and Thailand can strengthen cooperation in building the Belt and Road？

Paisal Puechmongkol： A bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership has been established between Thailand and China. The foundation of cooperation between us， friends and brothers， is solid. Thailand is located at the hub of the ASEAN region. It is also well connected with the Belt and Road cooperation mechanism.

Were looking forward to the early completion of the Thailand-China railway， which will connect Kunming of China with Vientiane of Laos and Bangkok of Thailand. In the future， the railway network will connect all sub-regions， including Malaysia， Singapore and Brunei. As a member of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism， a sub-regional cooperation mechanism representing an area with a population of 2.2 billion and tremendous market potential， we hope that the six member countries can establish a cooperative mechanism for waterway transportation.

We will have a lot of cooperation opportunities with China this year. We hope that Chinese media will focus more on Thailand so as to play a more active part in Sino-Thai exchanges and cooperation.