Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua and his queen arrived in Beijing on November 14, starting a 5-day state visit - an event considered to have special significance in the history of China - Thailand relations. This is also the first official visit of the King of Thailand to a power since his coronation.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed that the visit is an unprecedented milestone, taking place on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the "Golden Year of China - Thailand Friendship".
The Thai Royal side emphasized that the visit will " further strengthen the lasting friendship between the two peoples, enhance understanding and people-to-people exchanges".
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning described China and Thailand as close neighbors, a community of shared futures, and hoped the visit would strengthen political trust and promote comprehensive cooperation.
Chinese scholars assess the visit as elevating the spirit of "China - Thailand as one country", demonstrating the deep strategic trust between the two countries. Professor Song Qingrun (Beijing University of Foreign Languages) said that this event creates a strong momentum for the roadmap to build a common Chinese-Thai future community.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul called the King's trip a historic and memorable event, reflecting the close relationship between Bangkok and Beijing.
In Beijing, the King and Queen of Thailand will meet with Chinese leaders and lay wreaths at the People's Hero Memorial in Thien An Mon Square. The King and Queen also visited Co Cung, where the 50-year bilateral relationship exhibition, Lang Quang Pagoda, along with many key technology facilities such as the Center for Human Robot Innovation, the China Space Technology Institute or the Astronomical Training Center took place.
China is currently Thailand's largest trading partner, while Thailand is China's key partner in ASEAN. In 2024, two-way trade turnover will reach nearly 134 billion USD, up 6.1%. In the first half of 2025 alone, turnover reached 76.1 billion USD, up 17%.
Thailand is currently ASEAN's top country in agricultural exports to China (11.6 billion USD in 2024). This is also the country with the largest investment scale of Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers abroad, with 8 factories of SAIC, BYD and other companies, with a total capacity of nearly 600,000 vehicles/year. Thailand is also the first ASEAN country to completely commercialize China's 5G technology.
In security cooperation, Thailand is the first country in ASEAN to hold a joint exercise with all three Chinese sea - air forces, signing an extradition agreement and receiving counter-drug communications officers from Beijing.
