BEIJING, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with visiting King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua of the Kingdom of Thailand here on Friday, calling for joint efforts to further advance the building of a China-Thailand community with a shared future.

Xi said the king has taken China as the first major country to pay a state visit to and is the first Thai king to visit China since the establishment of diplomatic relations, which fully reflects the great importance attached to China-Thailand relations and the deep friendship characterized as "China and Thailand are as close as one family."

NEW CHAPTER OF BILATERAL FRIENDSHIP

Noting that this year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the "Golden Jubilee of China-Thailand Friendship," Xi said that over the past half-century, amid an ever-changing international landscape, China and Thailand have always worked together and supported each other, making the two countries good relatives, good friends and good partners.

Xi expressed condolences over the recent death of Queen Mother Sirikit and noted that the Thai royal family has a time-honored relationship with China and has made important contributions to promoting friendship between the two countries, which China deeply appreciates.

Xi said that at this new historical starting point, he would like to work with Thailand's king to further advance construction of the China-Thailand community with a shared future over the next 50 years and jointly write a new chapter in China-Thailand friendship.

Calling his state visit to China a great pleasure, the Thai king said profound changes have taken place in China since his last visit many years ago, and he congratulated China on its significant achievements in economic and social development.

Thailand and China enjoy close and friendly relations, with robust people-to-people exchanges and extensive and in-depth mutually beneficial cooperation, he added.

The meeting between the two heads of state sets the course for the future deepening and upgrading of China-Thailand relations, said Pan Yanxian, an expert on Thailand and ASEAN with Guangxi Minzu University.

"At this milestone, Thai king's visit attests not only to the high importance Thailand places on its relations with China, but also to the elevated strategic significance of this partnership," said Pan.

ENHANCING COOPERATION

Xi noted that the Recommendations of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development were adopted at the fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. China will prioritize promoting high-quality development and expanding high-standard opening up, while Thailand is at the crucial stage of national development and rejuvenation.

China is ready to strengthen synergy of strategies, ensure steady progress in China-Thailand railway and other major projects, expand imports of high-quality agricultural products from Thailand, and enhance cooperation in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, the digital economy and aerospace, so that the two peoples can gain more tangible benefits from bilateral cooperation, said Xi.

"This is expected to unlock new cooperative potential in emerging sectors, including smart cities, AI, photovoltaics, and electric vehicles, where complementarities are strong," said Xu Liping, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Increased two-way trade and economic interactions are likely to accelerate, significantly boosting personnel exchanges, Xu added.

In his meeting with the Thai king, Xi also called for enhanced cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and voiced active support for the public welfare programs of the Thai royal family, adding that China is willing to strengthen the exchange of poverty reduction experience, and facilitate the improvement of people's livelihood in Thailand.

Noting that cooperation between the two countries is as close as brothers, the king said Thailand is willing to learn from China's development experience, expand cooperation with China in all sectors, and enhance personnel and cultural exchanges, so that the Thai-Chinese friendship can take deeper root in the hearts of the people.

"Overall, the synergy between China's open markets and Thailand's industrial upgrading will propel bilateral cooperation to a higher level, shifting the cooperation landscape from traditional trade to joint industrial chain construction, co-shaping of rules, and shared benefits for the two peoples," said Pan. Enditem