On January 28, 2024 local time, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara jointly met the press after the annual consultation.

Wang Yi said he was glad to hold the first annual consultation between the foreign ministers of China and Thailand at the beginning of the New Year, and the two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on the implementation of the achievements of the meetings between President Xi Jinping and Thai leaders and the building of a China-Thailand community with a shared future and reached extensive common understandings.

China spoke highly of China-Thailand friendship and mutual trust. Noting that next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-Thailand diplomatic relations, Wang Yi said that over the past half a century, the China-Thailand relationship has withstood the test of the changing international landscape and grown from strength to strength. China always sees Thailand as a priority in its diplomacy with neighboring countries and appreciates Thailand's firm commitment to the one-China principle and its active support for the three global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping. China and Thailand will enter a "visa-free era" as the two sides have just signed an agreement on mutual visa exemption. Wang Yi expressed belief that it will bring bilateral people-to-people exchanges to a new height. There will be a big increase in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand. China also welcomes friends from Thailand to visit China and feel the vitality and vibrancy of China, as well as the hospitality and life of the Chinese people. China and Thailand are one family. It is important that the two peoples forge closer friendships and stronger bonds and embrace a better life.

Both sides believe that China-Thailand mutually beneficial cooperation enjoys a bright prospect. China is Thailand's largest trading partner and biggest source of foreign investment. Pursuing modernization at a faster pace, both sides need to keep abreast with the times and open up new prospects for cooperation. The two sides agreed to speed up the construction of the China-Thailand Railway, fully implement the vision of interconnected development of China, Laos and Thailand, and open the central line of the Trans-Asian Railway at an early date. China will import more competitive agricultural products from Thailand, support more Chinese companies in investing and doing business in Thailand, and foster new drivers of cooperation in new energy vehicles, digital economy and green development. The two sides should also strengthen law enforcement and security cooperation, strictly prevent cross-border crimes such as telecom fraud, online gambling and drug trafficking, and provide a safe and comfortable environment for exchanges and cooperation between the two peoples.

Both sides look forward to closer multilateral coordination. Facing a turbulent and intertwined international environment, both sides should stay committed to the five principles of peaceful coexistence, jointly uphold the hard-won peace and stability of the region, and firmly oppose a zero-sum game and I-win-you-lose approach. The two sides are committed to true multilateralism and open regionalism and will build a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable home for China and ASEAN at a faster pace, speed up the consultation on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, and jointly uphold ASEAN centrality. China supports Thailand in serving as the co-chair of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation and building a Lancang-Mekong community with a shared future of peace and prosperity.

Wang Yi stressed that with the upcoming 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-Thailand diplomatic relations, bilateral relations will come to a new historical starting point. Guided by the important common understandings between the leaders of the two countries, China is ready to work with Thailand to jointly deepen the building of a more stable, prosperous and sustainable China-Thailand community with a shared future and inject more stability and certainty into the turbulent and intertwined world.