The Chinese president said the two countries are like a “family” and pledged to “strengthen strategic cooperation” with the Southeast Asian nation.
Published November 14, 2025
Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed to strengthen closer ties with Thailand in the first visit to China by a current Thai monarch.
Xi called the two countries a “family” on Friday and told the royal family he would “strengthen strategic cooperation” with Southeast Asian countries, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
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King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who has made few overseas state visits since ascending the throne nine years ago, is in Beijing with his wife, Queen Suthida, for his first official visit to China.
Xi said China and Thailand will expand cooperation not only on railway connections but also in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, aerospace and the digital economy.
“King Vajiralongkorn’s choice of China as the destination for his first state visit is ample evidence that the country attaches great importance to Sino-Thai relations,” Xi said, according to CCTV.
President Vajiralongkorn described the relationship with China as “brotherly cooperation” and expressed his desire to deepen exchanges in various fields.
The Thai royal family was scheduled to visit a Buddhist temple and an aerospace development center in Beijing, as well as attend a state banquet.
Thailand was a key ally of the United States during the Cold War, and China is Thailand’s largest trading partner and source of military equipment.
The two countries have recently stepped up joint crackdowns on wire fraud and illegal gambling groups that operate primarily in Myanmar’s border areas and often target Chinese nationals.
On Wednesday, Thailand extradited Shashijiang, a Chinese national suspected of involvement in a profiteering hub in Myanmar. He had been detained in Thailand since 2022.
China also pushed for a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia, a close partner of Beijing, after border clashes in the summer left dozens dead.
The ceasefire has proven fragile, with Thailand suspending its implementation on Monday, claiming four soldiers were injured in the explosion of a newly laid mine.
Both countries have since accused each other of further clashes along the border.
