BEIJING: As China enters the Year of the Snake, the country is welcoming leaders from four Asian states, including Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Brunei and Thailand, reflecting China’s efforts to advance its diplomatic agenda, as well as China’s determination to cooperate with its neighbors for common development, striving to build a peaceful and prosperous Asia, an expert said.
On Sunday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kyrgyzstan’s President Sadyr Japarov will pay a state visit from Tuesday to Friday. On Monday, the ministry announced a state visit by President Asif Ali Zardari of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan from February 4 to February 8.
Separately, Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah will pay a state visit to China from Wednesday to Friday, the foreign ministry said. The ministry also announced that at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Prime Minister of Thailand Paetongtarn Shinawatra will pay an official visit to China from Wednesday to Saturday.
As the Spring Festival holidays came to an end on Tuesday, the invitation of leaders from multiple countries to China highlights China’s efforts to advance its diplomatic agenda and flexibly respond to various situations. In addition, the invited leaders are all from neighboring countries, which demonstrates China’s determination to unite and cooperate with its neighbors for common development, striving to build a peaceful and prosperous Asia. This is also beneficial for China to further consolidate its strategic initiative during this period of evolution in the international order, Qian Feng, director of the research department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
The visits of leaders coincide with 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, which was described by Chinese Foreign Ministry as “another major comprehensive international winter sports event held by China after the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.”
Following the official meetings in Beijing, Prime Minister of Thailand will travel to Harbin to attend the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games, according to Thai Foreign Ministry.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pakistan, the Pakistan President will also attend the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin.
The invited foreign leaders each have their own focused topics, Qian noted. For example, multiple cases of telecom fraud have drawn the attention of both China and Thailand, with both sides expressing a positive attitude toward strengthening cooperation to resolve the issue, while the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway launched in 2024 could be a priority for discussions between Kyrgyzstan and China, the expert said.
According to the Bangkok Post, the Thai prime minister said that during her visit to China, she will ask for China’s help in curbing negative rumors about safety in Thailand. Online financial scams, tourism and pollution will be among the issues discussed, Reuters reported.
Several Chinese nationals, including actor Wang Xing, were lured to the Thailand-Myanmar border and became missing and trapped, sparking public concern. Wang and several other individuals were later rescued and safely returned to China. The kidnapping had affected Chinese tourists’ enthusiasm to travel to Thailand.
The latest news on Tuesday showed that the Thai prime minister has approved an immediate end to the provision of fuel and electricity to call-scam gangs operating in Myanmar near the Thai border. Paetongtarn said on Tuesday that where there was clear evidence that scammers were benefitting from power and fuel provided from Thailand, the supply could be cut off right away, the Bangkok Post reported. –The Daily Mail-Global Times news exchange item
