Thailand, China ink four MOUs

BANGKOK, November 21 (TNA) - China and Thailand have signed four memoranda of understanding (MOUs), one of which is on Thai rice exports to the immense Chinese market, during a two-day official visit to Bangkok by Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, scheduled for November 20-21. Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her visiting Chinese counterpart on Wednesday jointly witnessed the signing of the four Chinese-Thai MOUs, concerning diplomatic relations, convict transfers, as well as rice trade and educational cooperation, at Bangkok's Government House, where the Chinese Premier was also officially received and had a bilateral full-panel discussion with the Thai government. Yingluck said at a subsequent joint press conference that both sides are satisfied with bilateral relations and agreed on further enhancing their cooperation in all areas, particularly trade, investment, education and tourism, as well as on introducing new flight routes to serve Chinese visitors to Thailand, whose number has risen to 1.9 million, and on solving trade barriers. Yingluck revealed that the Thai private sector signed rice trade deals with China on Tuesday, and that Thailand also asked China to import more Thai farm products, including rice, tapioca and rubber. According to the Thai prime minister, she also invited China to expand investment into Thailand and in the region, especially in mega-projects, which will create regional networks to reach Beijing's targeted annual economic growth rate of 15 per cent, referring to the Dawei deep seaport project in Myanmar, as well as high-speed railways and flood prevention systems in Thailand. The Thai premier acknowledged that the Chinese side appeared to be interested in the proposals; while Thailand also plans to export ethanol to China. The visiting Chinese Premier, meanwhile, praised Thailand for flood solutions and economic recovery in the wake of the country's flooding crisis late last year, promising that China is ready to support Thailand, one of China's major trading partners, in creating regional security. (TNA)