The Mekong River, whose China section is called the Langcang River, has its headwaters in Zaduo County, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai province, China. It flows through China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. These countries are all good neighbors to one another.(People.com.cn)
June 22, 2011
Source: Xinhua
Upon entering the office of Korn Dabbaransi, the president of the Thai-Chinese Friendship Association, the reporter was drawn immediately to a number of photos, which covered the entire wall, of Dabbaransi with top Chinese leaders. Starting with a 1975 black and white photo of himself and Deng Xiaoping, Dabbaransi told the reporter about his indissoluble bond with China over the past 30 years.
Successful examples
A Thai delegation led by the then Thai Prime Minister Kukrit Pramoj and Foreign Minister Chatichai Choonhavan signed the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations Between China and Thailand in Beijing on July 1, 1975, marking a milestone in friendly China-Thailand relations. At the time, Dabbaransi served as Choonhavan's assistant and secretary as well as a liaison between the delegation and the Thai government.
That was Dabbaransi's first visit to China. He recalled that at the time, Beijing Hotel was the only hotel in Beijing for foreign guests, and the Friendship Store was the city's only shopping place for foreign guests. There were few vehicles on the road, while bicycles were seen everywhere. He said that under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, China has made remarkable economic progress in just 30 years, and the people's living standards have greatly improved.
Contemporary Chinese people have sufficient knowledge and ability to promote China's development and to raise the country's international status. China's extraordinary economic achievements have proven that the success of socialism in China should be attributed to the stable and powerful central government led by the Party and its consistent policies.
The Thai-Chinese Friendship Association launched the friendly activity of the "Thai-Chinese Brotherhood" motorcade in China in 2010 to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the establishment of the Thai-Chinese diplomatic relations. Dabbaransi personally led a motorcade to drive through Laos and Vietnam and arrived at Nanning of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in China. It then headed to Guangdong province and drove through Zhanjiang, Maoming, Guangzhou and Shantou, and finally arrived at Chaozhou.
Dabbaransi said that although he has been driving for eight consecutive years, he did not feel tired because he was traveling in the road connecting the friendship of Thailand and China, and the entire trip was aimed at celebrating the 35th anniversary of the establishment of the Thai-Chinese diplomatic relations.
Dabbaransi said that most roads in Laos and Vietnam are two-lane roads and vehicles often drive in opposite directions, but roads in China are wide four-lane highways with complete traffic facilities. Therefore, it is very convenient to drive in China. He also said that China's urban and rural areas along the road are full of vitality, peace and prosperity, and people's smiling faces show their happiness. The motorcade chose Chaozhou as its destination because 80 percent of Chinese in Thailand come from Chaozhou and the tomb of King Taksin's father, the Thai national hero who lived more than 200 years ago, is also located in Chaozhou.
"The development of Thai-Chinese relations is based on the folk and the people. Thai and Chinese people are connected by consanguinity. Thailand and China are brothers," Dabbaransi said.
Dabbaransi is the first Thai government leader that has driven a car to enter China and also the first Thai government leader that has traveled between China and Thailand by ship. In order to encourage China and Thailand to enhance their contact in water transport, Thai vice-premier Dabbaransi traveled from Jinghong of Yunnan province in China to Chiang Rai in Thailand by ship in 1996 to comprehensively understand the Mekong River (also known as the "Lancang River" in China) status and better promote the friendly people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
Dabbaransi has served as chairman of the Thai-Chinese Friendship Association since 2002. As one of those who witnessed the establishment of diplomatic ties between Thailand and China, Dabbaransi said that Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai proposed another channel to promote the friendly exchanges between Thai and Chinese people after the two countries officially signed the communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic ties. Zhou said that he would establish a China-Thailand friendship association in Beijing and suggested then Thai Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan to set up a Thailand-China friendship association in Bangkok, both of which were designed to advance friend exchanges between the two countries. The Thai-Chinese Friendship Association was established in Bangkok in February 1976 and has performed significant roles in advancing the development of the ties between the two countries.
Changing with the times
Dabbaransi said that whenever he went to China, he could always be aware of China's great economic achievements and rapid development. The Communist Party of China has continued to reform itself, move along and change with the times so as to meet the demand of the times since its establishment 90 years ago, particularly in the period of leading the New China toward prosperity and strength. Today's Communist Party of China is definitely not completely the same as it was 90 years ago, with changes in its work tasks and methods, but the Party has unswervingly adhered to the tenet of "serving the people." Under the leadership of the Party, China has accomplished remarkable achievements during its modernization drive and has developed into a country characterized by political stability and social harmony.
By People's Daily Online and the author is Sun Guangyong, People's Daily correspondent in Thailand.
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