China plays up image of reliable partner as foreign monarchs visit

BEIJING – Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Nov 14 rolled out the red carpet for the first Thai monarch to visit China since ties were established 50 years ago, seizing the opportunity to portray his nation as a benevolent neighbour and reliable economic partner.

The arrival of Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida, and a visit earlier this week by Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, have been depicted by Chinese media as the outcome of friendly coexistence and a signal to other nations that China is trustworthy, in contrast to the economic unease set off by US President Donald Trump and his sharp tariff hikes in 2025.

Bilateral ties have evolved significantly since Thailand, firmly aligned with the US against communism during the Cold War, viewed China as a threat.

King Vajiralongkorn travelled to China once in 1987 as crown prince, sent by his father, who never visited despite invitations from Beijing. 

Since the 1980s, the relationship between the two countries has strengthened, anchored by deep trade and investment links. China is a

top source of visitors

for Thailand’s vital tourism sector and a major investor in industries such as the auto sector.

Thailand bought US$80 billion (S$104 billion) worth of goods from China in 2024. 

Mr Xi told King Vajiralongkorn that China is ready to strengthen strategic coordination and enhance cooperation on major projects, including a railway connecting the countries, according to China’s official Xinhua news agency. 

He also touched on trade, particularly on increasing Thai agricultural exports to China.

In an editorial, Xinhua portrayed historical trade and exchanges with Thailand from thousands of years ago as a basis on which future bilateral ties should be built. 

“Before the large-scale entry of Western colonists, most of Thailand’s foreign trade was sold to China,” Xinhua said on Nov 13, listing Thai rice, spices and tin ore traded for Chinese porcelain, silk, tea and ironware.

A few years before diplomatic ties were established, Thailand had sent table tennis players for a tournament in China and Beijing provided crude oil in 1974 to help Bangkok tide over economic difficulties, Xinhua said. 

Ms Juliette Loesch, a researcher at Paris-based Inalco, said: “The visit gives China a chance not only to reaffirm its closeness with the (Thai) kingdom, but also to signal its continued regional relevance at a time when US influence is visibly receding.

“It comes two weeks after Trump’s brief stop at the Asean Summit, where the only visible outcome was his role in overseeing the signing of the short-lived peace declaration between Thailand and Cambodia. By contrast, China announced the deepening of its free-trade agreement with Asean.” 

Mutual economic security

Trade pressures from the West are driving China’s pursuit of closer economic ties with its neighbours, as the world’s largest manufacturer sets out to find new markets for its products. 

This week, the European Union agreed to impose Customs duties on low-value parcels as soon as 2026, a crackdown on cheap Chinese e-commerce goods and likely to impact Chinese online retailers Shein and Temu. 

But China’s smaller economy neighbours have less room to be picky with the biggest trade partner in their region.

Like other South-east Asian countries, Thailand is concerned with Beijing’s intentions but it recognises the reality of China’s rising power, said Professor Steve Tsang, director of London-based SOAS China Institute.

“With Trump making the US no longer reliable as an ally, it is even more important that Thailand engages effectively with China,” he said.

Still, he added: “Beijing has not reassured most South-east Asian countries, including Thailand, that they have nothing to worry about with China’s rise.” REUTERS