On June 16, 2022, Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Foreign Ministry Liu Jinsong met with Thai Ambassador to China Arthayudh Srisamoot. The two sides exchanged views on China-Thailand relations and international and regional issues of common concern.

Liu Jinsong said, this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Thailand comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership. The two countries enjoy frequent high-level exchanges and fruitful practical cooperation. In the first four months of this year, bilateral trade increased by 7.7 percent, and China's investment in Thailand increased by 72.4 percent. The concept that "China and Thailand are as close as family" has been constantly endowed with new connotations of the times. Standing at a new starting point in bilateral relations, China is ready to continue to deepen cooperation with Thailand in connectivity, economy, trade and investment, people-to-people and cultural exchanges and other fields, advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, promote the implementation of the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative together, strengthen coordination in multilateral mechanisms such as BRICS and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and contribute to the "Asian Moment".

Liu Jinsong said, the Asia-Pacific is our shared home, which needs to be cherished, maintained and managed by China, Thailand and other countries in the region. The more turbulent the situation outside the region becomes, the more important it is for countries in the region to stay calm and steady. At present, there are three good things and three bad things for the Asia-Pacific. The first good thing is that compared with Europe and other parts of the world, this region is relatively peaceful and stable. Regional hotspot issues are generally under control, and its economy is fully resilient. The second one is that the vast majority of countries in the region focus on economic development, uphold peace and development, and are committed to good neighborliness, multilateralism and regional cooperation. The third one is that China, ASEAN and other countries in the region all hold that we need to ensure effective COVID control, stable economic performance, safe and secure development, and upgraded cooperation, stress the importance of independent, prudent and comprehensive diplomacy and insist that disputes on the ground in Asia should be properly settled by Asian countries in an Asian way. The first bad thing is that some countries are keen on ganging up to form small cliques and seeking a "new Cold War". In fact, they are inciting bloc confrontation, division and confrontation. The second one is that some forces have blatantly challenged the principle of non-interference in internal affairs, the international system with the United Nations at its core, the international order underpinned by international law and the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization as its cornerstone on bilateral and multilateral occasions. The third one is that Asia's economy and financial sector are facing the triple impact of the prolonged pandemic, the spillover effect of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and in particular, the U.S. Federal Reserve's interest rate hike. The United States previously aggressively printed and issued dollar bills and is now aggressively hiking interest rates and shrinking the balance sheet, which has put enormous pressure on the financial stability of countries in the region.

Liu Jinsong said, certain country uttered that "Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow". This statement is out of sinister motives and is to create public opinions and cover for its military expansion and overseas intervention. It overestimates its ability to confuse public opinions and fish in muddy waters, and underestimates the strategic vision and resolve of East Asian countries. The Taiwan question is completely different from the Ukraine issue in nature. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China and the Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair, which brooks no outside interference.

Liu Jinsong said, someone claims that the "Indo-Pacific Economic Framework" (IPEF) aims to establish a free, open and inclusive new order. In fact, it is an attempt to frame other countries with its own standards and rules. The United States has recently proposed a three-point approach of "investment, alliance and competition" in its relations with China, which is merely a rehash of its previous "trichotomy" of competition, confrontation and cooperation. Essentially, it is about using all the internal and external resources of the United States to attempt to shape China's surrounding environment, induce and suppress China's neighboring countries and comprehensively suppress and contain China. The United States is not satisfied with the ASEAN-led regional architecture, so it starts all over again and has set up various small cliques and circles, such as the AUKUS trilateral security partnership among the United States, the UK and Australia, and the QUAD among the United States, Japan, India and Australia. The newly launched IPEF is a patch of the "Indo-Pacific Strategy". The chairman of Thailand's Siam Think Tank wrote publicly that the IPEF has ulterior motives and serves the interests of the United States. Its philosophy is "narrow and exclusive". Asian countries that joined the IPEF seek to boost exports to the United States, while the United States ignores the need of regional countries to cut tariffs and expand market access. I believe ASEAN countries can see through the false display of affection, and be well aware of who is sincerely helping ASEAN promote regional cooperation.

Liu Jinsong said, there is a saying in Thailand, "Crocodiles block the river." If crocodiles are allowed to run amok, there will be no peace in this region. Both China and Thailand are important countries in the region as well as champions, beneficiaries and defenders of multilateralism. We need to uphold fairness and justice, open and inclusive regionalism, and the APEC approach of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, voluntarism and consensus-building. At the same time, we should guard against and curb the negative trend of fragmenting regional countries into different camps and taking an ideological view in regional cooperation so as to inject more stability and certainty into lasting peace and development in the Asia-Pacific.

Arthayudh highly appreciated the Thailand-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and looks forward to further deepening exchanges and cooperation with China in various fields under the guidance of high-level exchanges. Thailand is actively preparing for the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting to be held in November, and is ready to work with all members, including China, to strengthen communication and coordination, adhere to the theme of "Open, Connect and Balance", focus on development and cooperation, probe into practical issues such as rising energy prices and food shortages that are of common concern to Asia-Pacific countries, and push for greater progress in economic governance in the region.