Thailand to export quality rice to China

BANGKOK, September 4 (TNA) - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul says that Thailand will export quality rice to China, with the Ministry of Commerce tasked with packaging and delivering the Thai grains to the immense Chinese market. Surapong told journalists on Wednesday that, during a meeting of Thai Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Nanning City, southern China, on September 2, the Chinese Premier informed that China would buy one million tonnes of Thai rice and the Thai Commerce Ministry has, thus, been assigned to arrange for the delivery. Surapong confirmed that the Thai government will arrange rice shipments to China itself to ensure high quality of the exported Thai grains, acknowledging, however, that the delivery of Thai rice to China has not yet been scheduled pending coordination between Thai and Chinese agencies concerned on details of the Thai rice exports. According to the deputy prime minister, the Chinese government is also considering importing other Thai farm products and both Thai and Chinese Premiers discussed cooperation on a high-speed rail project linking China with Thailand, through Laos, as well. Besides, the deputy premier noted, the Thai and Chinese Premiers also discussed the possibility of using the Chinese yuan in bilateral trade and the revival of the Thai-Chinese joint commission on economic affairs, after its last meeting in 2005. The Thai deputy prime minister revealed China agreed that countries in the Mekong River basin should discuss the management of the river as disasters, water shortages and threats against navigation have happened in some sections of the river, with a ministerial meeting on the matters expected to be held early next year among member countries of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), in which both China and Thailand are members, along with Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. (TNA)