Musical diplomacy: Thai PM bursts into song on China visit
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Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping meeting in Shanghai on July 17.
PHOTO: AFP
BANGKOK – Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul serenaded Chinese Premier Li Qiang during a formal lunch in Beijing on July 20, the latest example of his musical diplomacy.
Footage released by Anutin’s office showed the Thai leader sitting alongside Li at a long table, holding a microphone and singing a classic hit by Taiwanese star Teresa Teng.
Li and other assembled guests, who sat in front of Thai and Chinese flags, clapped along as a piano was heard in the background.
Earlier in July, Anutin performed a rendition of My Way, the song popularised by Frank Sinatra, with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim – the Thai leader this time on the saxophone, as his counterpart sang.
And on a visit to Hanoi in June, Anutin played a Vietnamese instrument with local musicians in front of Prime Minister Le Minh Hung.
Anutin, who took office in September before winning February elections, is a scion of a construction dynasty but presents himself as a man of the people.
A hobbyist jet pilot, he also plays the piano and the Thai flute.
At the same time, he is seen as loyal to Thailand’s traditional social order – a stance that resonates with many in a still largely conservative society.
In recent weeks, Anutin has also performed with a Thai teenager who went viral with a rocking performance on TV show America’s Got Talent. AFP
