During the 'Thailand-China Cooperation Expo 2026,' held in Bangkok, Chinese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Thailand Zhang Jianwei delivered remarks on deepening bilateral cooperation, outlining a three-point strategic vision covering wider market access, deeper integration of industrial and supply chains, and the building of a sustainable investment ecosystem. He also called for accelerating the Thailand-China Railway and the China-Laos-Thailand rail connectivity project, while further expanding bilateral cooperation into emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, aerospace, and clean energy — reflecting Beijing's long-term strategic commitment to the development of China-Thailand relations.

Zhang Jianwei, born in June 1968, officially arrived in Thailand to take up his post on July 29, 2025, becoming China's newest Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Thailand, following a long career within China's foreign affairs system. The 'Thailand-China Cooperation Expo 2026' was held from July 22 to 25 at the IMPACT Exhibition Center in Bangkok, under the theme 'Investing in the Future, Growing Together,' and was jointly organized by the Thai Chamber of Commerce (Board of Trade of Thailand), the Thai-Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and the Thai-Chinese Enterprises Chamber of Commerce. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul attended and spoke at the opening ceremony. Ambassador Zhang delivered his remarks at a business networking reception during the Expo on July 24, laying out Beijing's concrete vision for deepening bilateral economic and industrial cooperation.

According to Thai media reports, the three specific points of the strategy Zhang Jianwei laid out were: first, encouraging Thai companies to make greater use of China's vast domestic market, particularly by tapping into China's growth in green technology, digital development, and smart manufacturing, using these as entry points for high-quality Thai goods and services into the Chinese market; second, calling for deeper integration of the two countries' industrial and supply chains, encouraging Chinese companies to invest in and build factories in Thailand while pushing Thai companies to make greater use of Chinese technological innovation; and third, advocating for the building of an open, inclusive, sustainable, and socially responsible investment ecosystem to ensure that bilateral cooperation delivers tangible, mutually beneficial results for the people of both countries.

Beyond the three-point strategic vision described above, Zhang Jianwei also specifically called in his remarks for accelerating the construction of the Thailand-China Railway and the connectivity of the China-Laos-Thailand railway, and for further extending bilateral cooperation into emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, aerospace, and clean energy. He noted that these sectors are becoming new growth points for mutually beneficial China-Thailand cooperation, helping to advance the modernization process of both countries. This stance is consistent with an understanding the two countries' leaders had already reached: during Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's visit to China this past July, President Xi Jinping, in his meeting with Anutin, likewise called for accelerating construction of the Thailand-China Railway and connectivity of the China-Laos-Thailand railway, and for expanding cooperation into emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, aerospace, and clean energy — with the two sides signing more than ten cooperation agreements covering trade and investment, scientific and technological innovation, artificial intelligence, and other areas.

As a flagship project for regional rail connectivity, the first phase of the Thailand-China Railway, linking Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat), runs approximately 253 kilometers with a design speed of 250 km/h, a total investment of roughly 179.4 billion baht, and six stations; by mid-2026, construction had progressed past the halfway mark, with the official target of bringing it into operation around 2030. The second phase, running roughly 357 kilometers from Nakhon Ratchasima to Nong Khai, was approved by the Thai cabinet in February 2025 with a total investment of about 341.4 billion baht; Thailand's Ministry of Transport plans to launch bidding for civil works contracts by the end of 2026, aiming to break ground in 2027 and complete the line around 2031. Once finished, the railway will connect with the already-operating China-Laos Railway (running from Kunming to Vientiane), forming a cross-border rail network running from Kunming in China, through Laos, directly to Bangkok — substantially boosting regional connectivity.

Trade and investment figures likewise point to deepening economic ties between China and Thailand. According to Thai statistics, bilateral trade between the two countries reached approximately 4.87 trillion baht in 2025, up 18.82% year-on-year, with Thai exports to China at around 1.3 trillion baht (up 5.06%) and imports from China at roughly 3.56 trillion baht (up a sharp 27.78%), widening Thailand's trade deficit with China to about $67.8 billion. Meanwhile, net direct investment inflows from China into Thailand reached about $3.2 billion in 2025, bringing China's cumulative investment stock in Thailand to around $24.7 billion — both record highs. Between 2021 and 2025, roughly 62.4% of China's investment in Thailand was concentrated in manufacturing, particularly the rubber and plastics, automotive, and electrical and electronics industries. These figures provide the real-world backdrop for Zhang Jianwei's call at the Expo for deeper integration of industrial and supply chains.

Clean energy was another area Zhang Jianwei repeatedly emphasized. In a keynote address at a Bangkok seminar on July 10, 2026, titled 'China's Economic Development Plan and the Promise of New Energy for a Sustainable Environment,' he noted that China has built the world's largest renewable energy system, with renewables now accounting for 60 percent of its total installed power generation capacity, while China also operates the world's largest electric vehicle charging network. He argued that the technological and industrial experience China has accumulated in new energy could offer Thailand a useful reference and space for cooperation as it pursues its own energy transition and develops green industries. At the same time, the China-Thailand joint statement issued this past July stated that the two sides would deepen supply-chain connectivity in semiconductors, batteries, electric vehicles, and high-end electronics, and strengthen cooperation on clean energy development and the energy transition. At a 'Meet Thailand 2026' event held in Shenzhen on September 9, a delegation representing 135 Thai institutions traveled specifically to Shenzhen to seek partnerships in technological innovation and the development of AI-related products — illustrating that artificial intelligence and clean energy have become the two fastest-growing new directions in practical China-Thailand cooperation.

It is worth noting that China and Thailand marked the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2025, and both sides regard 2026 as the start of a 'new chapter in the golden fifty years' of the relationship. The Chinese Embassy in Thailand has repeatedly emphasized that Beijing continues to place the development of relations with Thailand as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy and regards Thailand as a trustworthy strategic cooperation partner. Against this backdrop, Zhang Jianwei's remarks at the Expo were seen as more than a routine set of economic and trade proposals — they were regarded as a signal of Beijing's long-term strategic intent at this new starting point in bilateral relations, namely to translate the political consensus between the two countries into measurable economic outcomes through concrete cooperation in fields such as artificial intelligence, clean energy, and rail connectivity. For Thailand, how to seize the cooperation opportunities Beijing is offering while also balancing its relationships with other partners, amid intensifying US-China strategic competition and the rapid restructuring of global supply chains, will remain a long-term test of Bangkok's diplomatic skill.