Xi meets visiting Thai prime minister on bilateral ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with visiting Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul in Shanghai on Friday, to discuss relations between their two countries.

Anutin is in China to attend the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai and on an official visit to China.

Noting that China places the development of China-Thailand relations in an important position in its neighborhood diplomacy, Xi said China has always been a reliable and trustworthy strategic cooperative partner for Thailand. China and Thailand should further enhance strategic mutual trust, strengthen strategic cooperation, and join hands to address challenges, Xi said.

He said the two countries should accelerate the building of a more stable, prosperous and sustainable China-Thailand community with a shared future to bolster their respective modernization and contribute to peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region. Xi emphasized that China firmly supports Thailand in pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions, and supports the new Thai administration in carrying out governance effectively.

Amid complex and profound changes in the international landscape, China and Thailand should maintain close high-level exchanges, make good use of the "two plus two" strategic dialogue mechanism between foreign and defense ministers of the two countries, and promote strategic cooperation to a higher level, Xi said.

Xi also urged efforts from both sides to accelerate the construction of the China-Thailand railway and the railway connectivity among China, Laos and Thailand, and expand cooperation in emerging sectors including artificial intelligence, aerospace and clean energy.

Xi stressed the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation in tourism, media, education and other fields, thus fostering increasingly closer fraternity between Chinese and Thai peoples.

Efforts should be made to continue to vigorously crack down on cross-border crimes such as online gambling and fraud, so as to create a safe environment for practical cooperation and personnel exchanges between the two countries, Xi said.

China supports Thailand in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs and is willing to closely coordinate and cooperate with Thailand within multilateral mechanisms such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), China-ASEAN and the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, Xi said.

As handling the border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia is in line with the common and long-term interests of the people of the two countries, Xi said he hopes both sides will adhere to dialogue and consultation to peacefully resolve the dispute, and that China is willing to continue to play a constructive role in this regard. Anutin said China has always been a good friend that Thailand can rely on and trust. The two countries have always respected, trusted and supported each other. Thailand firmly adheres to the one-China principle.

Thailand is committed to deepening its relations with China, enhancing high-level bilateral exchanges, expanding practical cooperation between the two countries in multiple fields such as trade, investment, high and new technologies, and connectivity, jointly combating online gambling and telecommunications fraud, and conducting global governance cooperation on artificial intelligence, so that the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Thailand and China can better benefit the people of both countries, he said.

President Xi has put forward four major global initiatives, demonstrating China's commitment to multilateralism, which Thailand actively supports, he said.

Thailand is willing to enhance coordination and cooperation with China in promoting peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and the rest of the world. Thailand is committed to peaceful settlement of the conflict with Cambodia, and appreciates the fair and impartial role played by China in this regard, Anutin said.

Xi meets visiting Thai prime minister on bilateral ties

Xi meets visiting Thai prime minister on bilateral ties

Retired American teacher Ronald Sakolsky said on Friday that he expects his decades-long bond with China stemming from his generous contribution to the fight against desertification in north China to serve as a starting point for further expansion of exchanges between the two countries' younger generations.

Sakolsky made the expectation in an interview with China Media Group (CMG) one day after Chinese President Xi Jinping announced an invitation for 100,000 young Americans to visit China for exchanges and study in the coming five years at a welcome ceremony held by U.S. President Trump at the White House.

The announcement was made during Xi's three-day state visit to the United States running from Sept 23 to 25.

The story of Sakolsky, who more than two decades ago gave Chinese desert-control pioneer Yin Yuzhen financial support in her desert-control efforts in China, was mentioned by Xi in his remarks at a welcome banquet held by Trump at the White House on Sept 24.

"I could not believe that the President of China actually mentioned my name. [President Xi] didn't just refer to me as an American teacher but called me by my name. I'm still going crazy over it," said Sakolsky.

Sakolsky said based on his own experience, he believes that friendly exchanges between the U.S. and China are necessary and have the potential to change the world for the better. He said he believes Xi's invitation will help expand the friendship between the two countries.

"Our story is the seed. In 1999 [and] 2000, we planted the seeds. They have now grown into a 50,000-tree forest. In 2026, our story has now planted the seed, showing that the two cultures can work together and be successful in making a better world for the future. President Xi's initiative of [inviting] 100,000 American students [to visit China] will spark the seed to grow into a much better project," he said.

Sakolsky believes that the U.S. and China can be more closely connected by common grounds in spite of a great number of differences, and for younger generations, they will hopefully embrace a brighter future for bilateral exchanges.

"Though we speak a different language, though we look differently, though we eat differently, we still bleed red blood and we still have kindness in our heart. And the younger generation, I believe, is ready to step into a brighter future by expanding this relationship," he said.

The story of Sakolsky and Yin began in 1999 when Sakolsky taught English at a school in central China's Henan Province under a teachers' exchange program between the two countries. After watching a television news report featuring Yin's tireless work, he was deeply moved and raised 5,000 U.S. dollars to help Yin and her husband in their afforestation efforts against desertification.

Months later, at the invitation of local officials, Sakolsky traveled to the desert to meet Yin in person.

Yin kept one dollar as a souvenir and bought 50,000 saplings with the rest.

The saplings have now grown into thriving forests and become a symbol of friendly exchanges between the U.S. and China.

Retired U.S. teacher expects his bonds with China to be expanded