 "Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra meets Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on the sidelines of 31st APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Lima. Image courtesy: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The People's Republic of China")
Chinese President Xi Jinping held a meeting with Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra in Beijing on Thursday (February 6), state media reported.
This is Paetongtarn’s first official visit to China since she took office in August 2024. The Thai PM, who arrived in Beijing on Wednesday (February 5), is set to remain in China till February 8.
Concerns over scam centres
Her four-day visit comes as Beijing and Bangkok mark the 50th anniversary of China-Thailand diplomatic relations.
However, in recent times, relations between the two Asian nations have been fraught with issues such as online fraud and safety concerns.
Southeast Asia, particularly the border towns in Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos, has emerged as a global hub for telecommunications and online fraud since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the United Nations, hundreds of thousands of individuals have been trafficked to work in scam centers in these regions.
READ MORE: China still failing to shut down fraud gangs preying on its citizens at Thailand-Myanmar border
The matter was spotlighted once more due to the high-profile case of Chinese actor Wang Xing.
He travelled to Thailand for what he thought was an acting job. However, he was abducted and smuggled across the border to later be rescued from a scam center in Myanmar. This incident has sparked heated discussions in China about cross-border telecom scams.
Thailand, concerned about the impact on its vital tourism sector, is working to address safety concerns among Chinese visitors, who make up the largest group of tourists to the Southeast Asian nation.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsOn Tuesday (February 4), the Thai government announced plans to cut electricity supply to certain border areas with Myanmar in an effort to curb illegal scam centers.
Trump tariffs threats loom over China
Beijing is seeking to strengthen its ties with Bangkok and other countries in Southeast Asia amid increasing global uncertainties.
The discussions between Xi and Paetongtarn also occur as Beijing faces a new trade conflict with the United States, which was initiated by former President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a sweeping 10 percent tariff on all Chinese imports.
In November 2024, Pichai Naripthaphan, the Thai Commerce Minister, said that Thailand has managed to maintain a good balance between the US and China.
He said he was confident that the country would benefit from the trade war, as Thai exports to the US are expected to rise due to the decrease in imports from China.
With inputs from Reuters