Cultural communication and people-to-people exchanges between China and Thailand will flourish further next year as the two countries are going to celebrate their 50th anniversary of diplomatic relation, officials from both sides said at a forum.

“Thailand and China have a deep culture and blood bond, which are reflected on very detail of people life from the culinary to traditional holidays,” said Bhokin Bhalakula, former speaker of the Thai Parliament and President of the Thai-Chinese Culture and Economy Association.

Speaking at a forum on civilizational mutual learning between Thailand and China that kick off on Monday in Bangkok, Bhokin expressed his high expectations on cultural exchanges between the two nations next year.

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“Given that our historical long friendship has lasted for more than 2,000 years, deeper cooperation on a wider fields, such as science and technology, will see a boom in future,” he said, adding that more young Thai people are learning mandarin on mobile apps, which help to enhance mutual understanding.

Noting that China has been Thailand’s biggest trading partner for more than a decade, Bhokin said the Belt and Road Initiative is speeding up cooperation among countries along the initiative and the railway connection in Southeast Asia will bring a promising future for all countries.

Ji Bingxuan, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People’s Congress of China, attend the forum and made a keynote speech. He noted that Sino-Thai relation is a successful practice of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

“Our partnership is fair and beneficial for all parities. It promotes a sense of security between the two countries, and foster trust and cooperation among the people,” Ji said, noting that China always offers timely help to Thailand.

With its 1.4 billion people and great consuming power, Ji said Chinese market will offer enormous opportunities to bilateral trade with Thailand. Moreover, he extended invitation to Thai people for a visit to China and further connect with the country in a vivid way.

“Next year will mark the golden jubilee of Sino-Thai diplomatic relation and we are going to step on a new historical starting point. China and Thailand maintain the close bond and continue to expand cooperation for achieving our development goals,” he stressed.

Thai Deputy Permanent Secretary for Culture Yuthika Isarangkura said culture plays important role of bridging differences among nations. She said the ministry will give full support to cultural activities and people-to-people exchanges between the two nations for celebrating its 50th anniversary of diplomatic relation.

Last month, China and Thailand jointly released logo for two countries 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced a special collaboration with Chinese toy company Pop Mart, in which a limited edition of “Dimoo” IP will be entitled as “Special Friend of Thailand-China Golden Jubilee”.

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Chinese Ambassador to Thailand Han Zhiqiang noted that China and Thailand are neighbors and partners of mutually beneficial cooperation. “We have deep civilization connection and share similar values. Sino-Thai friendship is a illustration of Oriental Philosophy,” he said.

Han said the world is moving forward. The law of the jungle is no longer a principle to be accepted. “The Oriental Philosophy that emphasizes harmony, cooperation, tolerance and mutual benefits, are now widely accepted,” he added.

The world is facing increasingly turbulent times. To seek peace and development and promote cooperation are general trends and expectations of peoples around the world. China and Thailand have shared common interests and destiny. “We will join hands for a better future for our people and mark a new chapter for our friendship,” Han said.

Contact the writer at yangwanli@chinadaily.com.cn