Xi Jinping pledges deeper ties during Thai king’s first China visit

China’s president says the two countries are like ‘family’, pledging to ‘strengthen strategic alignment’ with the Southeast Asian nation.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged closer ties with Thailand during the first-ever visit to China by a reigning Thai monarch.

According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, Xi on Friday described the two countries as “family”, and told the royals his country would “strengthen strategic alignment” with the Southeast Asian nation.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who has rarely made overseas state visits since he ascended the throne nine years ago, is in Beijing with his wife, Queen Suthida, for his first official visit to China.

Xi said cooperation would be expanded on a China-Thailand railway link as well as in emerging fields like artificial intelligence, aerospace and the digital economy.

“King Vajiralongkorn’s choice of China as his first major country for a state visit … fully demonstrates the high importance he attaches to China-Thailand relations,” Xi said, according to CCTV.

Vajiralongkorn described his country’s relationship with China as “brotherly cooperation” and expressed his desire to deepen exchanges in various areas.

The Thai royals were scheduled to visit a Buddhist temple and an aerospace development hub in Beijing, as well as attend a state banquet.

Thailand was a key ally of the United States during the Cold War, but China is the kingdom’s biggest trading partner and increasingly a source of military equipment.

The two countries have recently stepped up a joint crackdown on telecommunications fraud and illegal gambling gangs that operate in border areas, mostly in Myanmar, and often target Chinese nationals.

On Wednesday, Thailand extradited Chinese national She Zhijiang, who is allegedly linked to a lucrative scam hub in Myanmar. He had been in Thai custody since 2022.

China also pushed for a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia, a close partner of Beijing, after border clashes in the summer caused dozens of deaths.

That truce has proved fragile, with Thailand on Monday pausing its implementation after claiming a blast from a newly laid landmine had wounded four of its soldiers.

The two sides have subsequently traded accusations of further clashes along their border.