Chinese and Thailand nationals will be able to travel to either countries without visa requirements, the two countries signed the visa waiver agreement on Sunday.
Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-nukara and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi signed the mutual visa exemption, which takes effect on March 1, at a ceremony after meeting in Bangkok.
“This visa-free era will bring people-to-people exchanges to a new height,” Wang told a joint press conference.
China was a top source for Thailand’s tourism industry, a major driver of Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy.
“There will be a big increase in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand,” Wang said.
Beijing and Bangkok also pledged to speed up the construction of the China-Thailand railway and work together in combating transnational crimes, Wang said.
Meanwhile, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China and Thailand are one family.
Next year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Thailand, both countries face new opportunities and should take new actions in their respective modernization developments and in building a China-Thailand community with a shared future.
China is willing to focus on building a more stable, prosperous and sustainable China-Thailand community with a shared future, strengthen pragmatic cooperation in various fields, and constantly add new dimensions to the bilateral relations, Wang said.
For his part, Parnpree said Thailand attaches great importance to the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Thailand and China as well as strengthening friendly cooperation with China, as it not only aligns with the common interests of both countries but is also crucial for world peace and stability.
Thailand firmly adheres to the one-China principle and does not engage in any official exchanges with the Taiwan authorities.
Following the consultations, the two officials signed an agreement on mutual visa exemption.
