Foreign Minister attended the High-level Video Conference on Belt and Road International Cooperation: ‘Combating COVID-19 with Solidarity’ at the invitation of the Government of China, informing the meeting of Thailand's strict and cautious measures that have enabled Thailand to effectively control the spread of COVID-19 and emphasising the importance of human security, exchange of experiences and best practices in combating COVID-19, and international cooperation on the development of vaccines while ensuring its equal access to all.

 

On 18 June 2020, H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand attended the High-level Video Conference on Belt and Road International Cooperation: Combating COVID-19 with Solidarity, at the invitation of the Government of the Republic of China. The meeting was chaired by H.E. Mr. Wang Yi, State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China and attended by the Director General of World Health Organization (WHO), the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and high-level representatives from 26 countries.

 

H.E. Mr. Wang Yi reiterated China’s determination to further enhance multilateral cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19, and the importance given to providing assistance to developing countries in the areas of health and economic recovery such as development of medicines and vaccines, promoting connectivity through infrastructure development and logistics networks to sustain global production and supply chains, establishment of fast-track lanes to facilitate the movement of goods and people, cooperation on innovation, digital economy, and e-commerce, as well as promoting sustainable development. 

 

The Thai Foreign Minister informed the meeting of Thailand's strict and cautious measures which have enabled Thailand to effectively control the spread of COVID-19, and expressed readiness to share Thailand’s experiences, especially in Universal Health Coverage and the village health volunteer system, both of which have contributed to the high ranking of Thailand among many countries in its recovery from COVID-19. For future cooperation, Thailand attaches great importance to international cooperation with solidarity on the development of vaccines, while ensuring equal access for all, rich or poor. Thailand considers human security as key to sustainable development and is ready to cooperate with all countries to promote food security. The Foreign Minister also reiterated the need for all parties to promote constructive and peaceful environment and mutual trust, while refraining from protectionism and nationalism. This would be a win-win cooperation. China’s Foreign Minister commended Thailand for this insightful vision.

 

Other participants, including the Director-General of WHO and the Administrator of UNDP, stressed the importance of international cooperation to strengthen the public health system, achieve Universal Health Coverage, and ensure equal access to vaccines and medicines. They also promoted multilateral cooperation, infrastructure development to enhance connectivity to sustain global production and supply chains, cooperation on technology and innovation as well as human resource development. Providing assistance to countries badly affected by COVID-19, such as debt suspension to ensure sustainable development in developing countries should also be a priority. 

 

The meeting adopted a Joint Statement focusing on 4 areas of cooperation, namely prevention and control of the spread of disease, boosting connectivity through high quality infrastructure projects and facilitating the movement of people and goods, promoting economic recovery, and deepening practical cooperation such as development of economic corridors and economic zones along the BRI route.