The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy's 83rd taskforce on Monday wrapped up its four-day goodwill visit to Thailand and left for Singapore.
The taskforce, consisting of PLA Navy ships Qi Jiguang and Yimengshan, docked at the Chuk Samet port after arriving in the Sattahip naval base in eastern Thailand's Chonburi province on October 16.
This was the third visit by the Qi Jiguang ship to Thailand, and the first by the Yimengshan ship. During their stay, the crew members visited the Thai navy's HTMS Chakri Naruebet aircraft carrier and other military facilities. They also visited the Royal Thai Naval Academy and local schools, and engaged in friendly sports matches and other exchange activities with their Thai counterparts.
At 10:00 local time, the Thai side held a grand farewell ceremony at the Sattahip Port as Qi Jiguang and Yimengshan slowly departed from the pier.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Thailand.
"Through various exchange activities, I feel that the bond of China-Thailand friendship is growing stronger. When explaining the capabilities of our ships to visiting civilians, I could deeply sense the feeling of security and pride that our nation's naval vessels bring to overseas Chinese," said Wu Songbo, a crew member from Chinese PLA Navy's 83rd taskforce.
During the visit, the Qi Jiguang ship hosted a deck reception featuring displays of traditional Chinese culture and artistic performances by cadets, which were warmly received by the guests in attendance.
Both the Qi Jiguang and the Yimengshan ships organized multiple open-day events, attracting over 6,000 visitors who came aboard for tours.
Chinese PLA Navy ships wrap up visit to Thailand
Foreign diplomats and scholars are looking closely at this year's "two sessions", saying China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) will not only chart the nation's economic and technological priorities but also reshape global value chains.
The fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the nation's top political advisory body, opened on Wednesday, followed by the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC) on Thursday. Together known as the "two sessions," these meetings offer a comprehensive view into China's development priorities.
Global observers emphasized that the 15th Five-Year Plan, a blueprint guiding the nation's economic, social, and technological priorities over the next five years, marks a decisive shift toward high‑quality growth anchored in advanced technologies, with ripple effects across the world.
"The two sessions will discuss China's five-year plan, which is heavily oriented toward China's major technological development. I believe this is important because it represents the new blueprint for China's economy, which is now oriented toward the renowned high-quality development, and this will undoubtedly impact the entire world. I think it is worth studying. This is very important for Latin America. It will help us integrate more intelligently into global value chains and into all aspects of the major development that China is promoting in iconic industrial sectors, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and space development, where Latin America also has much to contribute beyond just commercial growth," said Gustavo Sabino Vaca Narvaja, former Argentine Ambassador to China.
"The two sessions are a major political milestone in China, and this year's gathering carries even greater significance as this year marks the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan. This plan represents not only a blueprint for China, but also a guide for other countries. Instruments like the five-year plan effectively provide greater certainty and predictability for the rest of the world," said Chilean scholar of international relations Ignacio Araya Heredia.
"This is a particularly important date, especially due to the fact that the next Five-Year Plan shall be positioned and we're going to see what its main elements shall be. Serbia, which has a very high degree of steel friendship with the People's Republic of China, can expect further assistance in identifying the most prominent areas of Serbian economy and being helped by its great partner, such as it has been done in the previous period, from one part with establishing the main infrastructure projects, but also reshaping the industrial sector of Serbia, not just Serbia, but the region as a whole," said Veljko Mijuskovic, assistant professor of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Belgrade.
Beyond the policy framework, experts also pointed to China's achievements in green energy and technological innovation as models worth emulating.
Tomasz Bielinski, adjunct professor at the University of Gdansk's Faculty of Economics, said the robotics displays at the 2026 China Media Group (CMG) Spring Festival Gala reflected China's broader push in technological innovation.
"I was really impressed about the robotics. I'm very impressed with Chinese development in the technological field, we can still make great deals with Chinese businessmen and we can cooperate together to use this technology for both the good of China and the European Union. I'm aware of the innovation especially in autonomous drive on the on the Chinese side," he said.
"We hope for more of China's economic cooperation, especially in trade and also in investment. Also, and the other focus, if I talk about the focus of the development, don't forget about the green energy. We know that China is great in the electric vehicle field. So because China's electric vehicles in Indonesia nowadays, since couple of years ago, are very, very popular," said Al Busyra Basnur, president of the Indonesia-China Friendship Association.
Observers see China's new five-year plan driving high-quality development, global tech shifts
