LUANG PRABANG, Laos — China and Thailand pledged to deepen bilateral cooperation and move forward the construction of the China-Thailand railway on Dec 16.

The pledges were made as State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai at the sidelines of the 4th Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) foreign ministers’ meeting.

Wang said the China-Thailand ties are enjoying sound development, with frequent high-level exchanges and close cooperation in various fields, bringing tangible benefits to peoples of the two countries.

China is willing to work with Thailand to enhance communication, properly plan for deepened cooperation, speed up the construction of China-Thailand railway in a bid to achieve early connection of China-Laos-Thailand railway, and actively explore third-party cooperation, he said.

China would support Thailand’s work as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) rotating chair and steadily move forward the consultation on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea with ASEAN members, said Wang.

China would also push for the early conclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations, speed up East Asian economic integration, and jointly guard against unilateralism and trade protectionism, Wang added.

For his part, Don said Thailand would work with China to maintain high-level exchanges, deepen trade and economic cooperation, actively move forward the construction of Thailand-China railway, and explore different kinds of third-party cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

As ASEAN’s rotating chair in 2019, Thailand would play a constructive role in promoting the development of ASEAN and ASEAN-China relations, said Don.

Thailand is committed to concluding RCEP negotiations within its term of chairmanship, and would work toward regional peace, stability, prosperity and development.