On 2 August 2013, at the High-Level Forum on 10th Anniversary of ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership in Bangkok, Mr. Surapong Tovichakchaikul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, had a bilateral meeting with Mr. Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, to discuss issues of mutual interest.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Surapong expressed his condolences for the loss of lives and injuries caused by the major earthquake that struck Gansu province on 22 July 2013 and wished those affected a quick recovery.

The Foreign Ministers discussed preparations for Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s attendance at the 10th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) in Nanning, China, on 3 September 2013. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Surapong thanked China for its support on capacity building and technical cooperation on high-speed railways. The two sides also discussed increasing exports of Thai rice to China.

The Foreign Ministers were pleased with the increased number of tourist visits from both sides. They discussed ways to further increase and accommodate tourists, including exemption of visas for ordinary passports. On trade and investment, they considered the possibility of using the renminbi as a base currency for bilateral trade.  

On ASEAN-China dialogue relations, both Foreign Ministers expressed their satisfaction with the overall progress made.  They discussed and looked forward to various commemorative activities on the 10th Anniversary of the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership to be held later this year, including the special ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Beijing at the end of August. 

On the issue of the South China Sea, both Foreign Ministers stressed the importance of keeping the positive momentum of dialogue, consultations and cooperative activities between ASEAN and China. They were pleased that ASEAN and China have agreed to start official consultations at the senior officials’ level this September aimed at developing a Code of Conduct (CoC) in the South China Sea.