The Consulate General of Thailand in Nanning held a reception in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on the evening of Dec 4, inviting officials from the ASEAN consulates in Nanning and people from all walks of life in Guangxi to celebrate Thailand's National Day, which falls on Dec 5.

"Thailand will seize the opportunities available in Guangxi to build the China-ASEAN financial gateway and the China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone to expand cooperation between Thailand and Guangxi," said Chairat Porntipwarawet, consulate general of Thailand in Nanning, at the reception.

Thailand is an important connection point for ASEAN, while Guangxi is an important node of the Belt and Road that also serves as China's gateway to ASEAN.

Porntipwarawet also noted that Thailand and Guangxi have formulated related policies to strengthen bilateral cooperation this year, covering various fields like trade, investment, technology, connectivity, education, culture, and tourism. In addition, the Thai banking industry has opened exchanges and cooperation with Guangxi, which is in line with the development of Guangxi to build the China-ASEAN Financial City.

Yan Jinbai, vice president of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, said at the reception that cooperation between Guangxi and Thailand in the areas of economy, trade, culture, education, and tourism has achieved remarkable results in recent years. The number of Thai students studying in Guangxi has reached 2,835, accounting for about one third of the total number of international students in ASEAN countries. From January to October this year, the total import and export volume of the two sides reached 27.7 billion yuan ($3.93 billion), an increase of 237 percent year-on-year.

Yang also expects that Guangxi will further strengthen exchanges with Thailand and promote practical cooperation between the two sides.