China gives Thailand high priority in neighborhood diplomacy: Chinese FM

RIO DE JANEIRO, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday that China always gives China-Thailand relations high priority in neighborhood diplomacy.

Wang made the remarks when meeting with his Thai counterpart, Maris Sangiampongsa.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said China is ready to work together with Thailand to deepen practical cooperation across various fields and bring more certainty to regional peace and stability.

China welcomes Thailand's participation as a BRICS partner country and supports its full engagement in BRICS cooperation, he added.

For his part, Maris said that Chinese modernization will bring huge opportunities for his country and that Thailand hopes to join the BRICS family, strengthen Global South cooperation and safeguard the common interests of developing countries.

Both sides agreed to accelerate the construction of the China-Thailand railway, continue international cooperation on giant panda, resolutely crack down on telecom fraud and other cross-border crimes and advance the construction of the Version 3.0 China-ASEAN Free Trade Area.