China ready to strengthen vaccine cooperation with Thailand: FM

BEIJING -- China is ready to strengthen vaccine cooperation with Thailand and help the Southeast Asian country completely beat the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday.

Wang made the remarks in a phone conversation with Don Pramudwinai, Thai deputy prime minister and foreign minister.

Describing the China-Thailand relationship as close as one family, Wang said under the high-level strategic guidance of the two countries, bilateral ties have overcome the impact of the pandemic and maintained a momentum of growing from strength to strength.

As this year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China is embarking on a new journey of development and revitalization, Wang said, adding that Thailand will also usher in new development in the post-pandemic era.

China is willing to work together with Thailand in high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and inject fresh impetus into the economic development of the two countries and the whole region at large, Wang said.

Noting that this year also marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of dialogue relations between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Wang said that in this important year of building on past successes to further advance bilateral relations, China is ready to work with ASEAN to draw on the successful experience over the past 30 years and work out plans for bilateral cooperation in the post-pandemic era so as to elevate China-ASEAN relations to a new level.

For his part, Don said that Thailand and China, as good friends and good relatives alike, have long enjoyed mutual understanding and support.

Don thanked China for offering valuable support and sincere assistance to Thailand in its fight against the pandemic and voiced hope that the two sides will continue to strengthen cooperation on epidemic prevention and control.

Thailand, Don said, stands ready to take the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations as an opportunity to push for new progress in ASEAN-China relations.

The two sides also exchanged views on the situation in Myanmar.