Wen visits Thailaland

BANGKOK, November 20 (TNA) - Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao is scheduled to arrive in Thailand on Tuesday evening for his official visit, scheduled for November 20-21, during which the private sector and academics consider a good opportunity for trade promotion negotiations. Somchai Jitsuchon, research director of the Thailand Development Research Institute or TDRI, said that both Chinese and U.S. leaders visited Thailand as the first leg in their trips to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), reflecting the importance of Thailand and their intention to restore relations with the 10-member growing ASEAN bloc. The Chinese prime minister's visit to Thailand followed that of US President Barack Obama, who paid his official visit to Bangkok from November 18-19. Somchai pointed out that China has viewed ASEAN as its economic development ground and may use ASEAN as its gateway to trade with India, which is emerging as a world leading economic power. The Thai Rice Exporters Association, meanwhile, urged the Thai government to convince China to reduce its trade barriers on Thailand to welcome Thai products and investors, noting that China has imposed many trade barriers on Thailand despite the presently high values of mutual trade and its considerable imports of Thai products. During his visit to Thailand, Wen and Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra will, among other activities, open the Chinese Cultural Center on a land plot of over 6,400 square meters behind the Thailand Cultural Center in Bangkok, where applied Chinese architecture is shown and it is the first Chinese cultural center in Southeast Asia and the 10th in the world. The new cultural center, consisting of a library, a Chinese language school, a stage for cultural shows and an exhibition hall, will further boost cultural relations between Thailand and China. (TNA)