BANGKOK, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) — Chinese State Councilor Wang Yong concluded a visit to Thailand on Sunday, during which he co-chaired a bilateral meeting on economic cooperation, and attended the launching ceremony of a China-Thailand railway project.

During his five-day stay in Thailand, Wang met with Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and presented to him a congratulatory message from Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on the commencement of the China-Thai railway project.

The launch of the railway project, which has been pushed forward by Chinese and Thai leaders, is not only a gift for the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, but also a new landmark for their strategic cooperation, Wang said.

On Thursday, Wang co-chaired the 4th Meeting of the China-Thailand Joint Committee on Trade, Investment and Economic Cooperation with Thai Deputy Prime Minister Somkit Chatusiphithak.

During the meeting, both sides exchanged views on strengthening the alignment of the two countries’ development strategies, and expanding cooperation in the fields of trade, investment, industrial capacity, infrastructure, tourism, finance, information and communication, as well as space technology.

On Saturday afternoon, the Chinese state councilor attended the launching ceremony of the China-Thailand railway cooperation project with Thai Deputy Prime Minister Prajin Jantong in central Thailand’s Ayutthaya province.

The ceremony was held at Chiang Rak Noi Station in Ayutthaya, where the future Operations Control Center of the railway project will be located.

The two countries are collaborating in building Thailand’s first standard-gauge double-track railway line, which uses 1.435-meter standard gauge with trains operating at top speeds of 160-180 kph.

During his visit, Wang also held talks with Thai Deputy Premier Prawit Wongsuwan, attended and addressed the Thai-Chinese Business Forum with Somkit, and inspected the Thai-Chinese Rayong Industrial Zone, which is located in east Thailand’s Rayong province. Enditem

 Editor Xuefei Chen Axelsson