Thai prime minister visits China

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra left Bangkok on Tuesday morning for Beijing on a three-day official visit to China to strengthen bilateral relations and promote cooperation between Thai and Chinese investors. Talks between leaders of the two countries are likely to involve joint development projects on high-speed train, water management, renewable energy, human resources, education and culture, according to China's (Xinhua) News Agency. Cooperation under the regional framework such as the ASEAN and the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) will also be discussed. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin announced last week that Chinese leaders would hold talks with Yingluck on bilateral ties as well as international and regional issues of common concern. According to Chinese Customs statistics, China is the largest export market and second largest import source of Thailand. The two countries' trade volume hit 64.7 billion US dollars in 2011.