On July 20, Thai Prime Minister Anutin concluded his five-day official visit to China and departed for his home country. This visit, which began with his attendance at the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and the High-Level Meeting on Global Governance of Artificial Intelligence, spanned Shanghai, Chengdu, and Beijing. The visit included high-level meetings, industry discussions, and the signing of cooperation documents. A series of consensus agreements on artificial intelligence, clean energy, and aerospace were reached, marking a new chapter of high-quality development in the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Thailand. Sino-Thai cooperation is transitioning from traditional infrastructure connectivity to a new phase of cutting-edge technology collaboration and the joint development of industrial ecosystems, serving as a model for independent innovation cooperation among countries in the global South.
During this visit, a series of agreements on cooperation were reached, effectively addressing Thailand’s core demands for upgrading its industrial strategy under the 4.0 initiative. Thailand has launched a national artificial intelligence development strategy, aiming to fully develop the digital economy, green manufacturing, and space industries. There is a pressing need for mature technologies, complete industrial chains, and innovative platforms to support this transformation. For this visit to China, Anutin brought with him over 150 senior executives from nearly 50 local leaders in the fields of digital technology, new energy, and advanced manufacturing, who participated in all three locations’ industry-related activities. At the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, the two sides engaged in in-depth discussions on artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure, with a focus on advancing digital industry development through the Eastern Economic Corridor of Thailand. Simultaneously, a joint laboratory for intelligent prediction and warning of meteorological disasters was established. At the 2026 China (Sichuan) – Thailand Investment and Economic Forum held in Chengdu, both sides exchanged multiple memorandums of understanding on cooperation, with government and business entities discussing various aspects such as new energy vehicles, intelligent manufacturing, and other industrial sectors. In Beijing, the two prime ministers jointly witnessed the signing of multiple scientific and technological cooperation documents, covering areas such as aerospace, intellectual property, and artificial intelligence education.
As can be seen from the China-Thailand Joint Statement released on July 20, this round of cooperation in science, technology, and innovation adheres to the principles of mutual benefit and win-win results, openness, and inclusivity, does not target third parties, aligns with global development initiatives, and aims to solidify the foundation for long-term bilateral cooperation through technology transfer, talent cultivation, and the realization of research outcomes.
By examining the trajectory of cooperation between China and Thailand, it becomes evident that there is a profound foundation for scientific and technological collaboration between the two nations. Thailand was the first ASEAN country to collaborate with China in building the VGOS radio telescope and the Tokamak experimental device, and it has also welcomed the overseas exhibition of Chinese lunar samples. The Chang’e-7 has been selected to carry the Thai-developed “Global Space Weather Monitoring” device, solidifying the basis for cooperation in the aerospace sector between the two countries. 5G+ smart mines and new energy vehicle manufacturing bases have already been established and operational in Thailand, continuously releasing dividends from industrial upgrading. Compared to some countries that erect technological barriers and engage in camp-based technological competition, the scientific and technological cooperation between China and Thailand eschews geo-strategic considerations, focuses on essential development needs, and enables cutting-edge technologies to serve both people’s livelihoods and industrial upgrading, thus highlighting the significant importance of South Asian countries working together for self-development.
For some time now, external forces have been promoting the “technological dependence theory” in an attempt to sow discord between China and ASEAN in terms of scientific and technological collaboration. However, the facts clearly demonstrate that China-Thailand cooperation has always been based on equality, voluntariness, and complementary strengths: China provides mature technologies and a complete industrial chain, while Thailand offers markets, locations, and industrial platforms. Both sides share technical standards and jointly build innovation platforms; there is no unilateral dependence. Thailand has repeatedly made public statements indicating its voluntary choice to engage in scientific and technological cooperation with China, rejecting any association with geopolitical blocs, thereby clearly conveying the region’s countries’ firm stance in pursuing development autonomy.
In addition to the achievements in the field of science and technology, during this visit, the two countries reached a consensus on complementary cooperation in multiple areas, thereby establishing a comprehensive support system for cooperation. At the economic and trade level, the two sides agreed to expand trade in agricultural and food products and continuously improve the facilitation of cross-border clearance of agricultural products. In the connectivity sector, they accelerated the construction of the first phase of the China-Thailand railway project, promoted the interconnection of cross-border channels, and facilitated regional logistics connections. In the security sector, efforts were intensified to combat transnational crimes such as telecommunication fraud, and law enforcement and judicial cooperation were strengthened to effectively address related challenges. At the cultural level, continuous expansion of university exchanges and cultural tourism visits was pursued to build a foundation of public support for scientific and technological cooperation through people-to-people connections. Multidisciplinary efforts were made to clear the way for the implementation of scientific and technological projects by establishing logistics, market, and talent support channels.
For millennia, “Thailand and China are one family.” Science and technology innovation ushers in a new era of cooperation. The series of collaborative achievements reached through the Thai Prime Minister’s current visit to China represent a fresh growth point for the construction of a shared destiny between Thailand and China. Moving forward, both sides will rely on the mechanism of the Joint Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation to progressively implement the agreements, continuously expand joint research in the digital, green, and aerospace fields, synchronize economic and trade, infrastructure development, security, and humanistic support cooperation, and achieve dual empowerment through both hard and soft cooperation. By working together to deepen cooperation in cutting-edge technologies, Thailand and China will not only accelerate the modernization of both countries but also contribute lasting positive energy to ASEAN integration, regional industrial chain stability, and the improvement of global scientific governance. (Outlook New Era)
(The author is a researcher at the ASEAN Studies Center, a national research institute under the Ministry of Education, and an associate professor at the ASEAN College of Guangxi Minzu University.)
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