BANGKOK, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- "More than 20 years ago, I went to Shanghai
for the first time. Only one skyscraper was there then ...But when I was on the
highway from airport to downtown Shanghai during a visit in 2000, I could not
believe my eyes since the whole city was surrounded by modernism," Thailand's
newly elected Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej recalled his previous visits to
China on Thursday at his residence in Bangkok.
It is the second day that the People Power Party (PPP) leader officially
took over the premiership from former premier Surayud Chulanont who was
appointed by military after a coup in 2006. Samak, leading PPP, won the general
election late last year and then was elected as the 25th Prime Minister early
this week.
On Thursday, Zhang Jiuhuan, China's ambassador to Thailand, delivered a
congratulatory letter of China's premier Wen Jiabao to Samak, congratulating to
his Thai counterpart.
Samak, a 72-year-old veteran politician who has a political career of more
than 40 years, thanked premier Wen and reaffirmed that the new government will
enhance the Thai-Sino relationship in every fields.
He said the Thai-Sino relations are deeply rooted and are as inseparable as
relatives or brothers. He said that the Thai government paid great attention to
the development of the relationship between Thailand and China.
"I am an old friend of China," said the premier. He recalled his visits to
China during the past decades, saying he was always "shocked" by the quick
development of various Chinese cities.
"I have been to Beijing, Shanghai, Dali, Hangzhou ... too much for me to
remember. But I was always impressed by the changes of all the cities every time
I went there," said Samak.
He said as the governor of Bangkok in 2000, he paid more attention to the
construction of China, from city layout, to expressway construction, and also
railway paving. He highly praised the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the highest
railroad in the world which was completed in 2006.
Samak said he expects the early accomplishment of the road connecting
China's Kunming to Laos' Vientiane which passes northern Thailand. He predicted
that the "driving-tourism" would be enhanced after the project is finished.
"For myself, I also wish to drive to China. It must be fun," said the
premier.
