Prime Minister Urges Chinese Investors to Return Now

Prime Minister Talks To China

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday urged Chinese investors to return to the kingdom now the coronavirus situation in both countries has largely subsided, saying the Thai government will fully support them, according to officials.

A government spokesperson said the plea was made during a phone conversation with President Xi Jinping on Tuesday. The phone call marked 45 years since the establishment of Thai-Chinese diplomatic relations.

Gen Chan-o-cha also asked China to consider importing more farm products from Thailand, a request the Chinese president reportedly promised to implement through existing trade cooperation mechanisms.

Both sides agreed to increase cooperation in all areas, including the digital economy, information technology and innovation sectors, the team said.

China has pledged to scale up its support of the government’s Thailand 4.0 policy and the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) project.

Gen Chan-o-cha also promised Mr Jinping that Thailand will resume projects put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic as soon as the global disease situation improves.

Thailand is still interested in learning from China’s experience, including how it is tackling poverty, Gen Chan-o-cha reportedly said.

During the call with Mr Jinping, Gen Chan-o-cha also shared Thailand’s experience in handling the outbreak with the Chinese leader and praised him for managing the outbreak in China.