Zhuang Jiahan (right), mayor of Xiamen, meets with Thai princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on April 7. [Photo/fo.xm.gov.cn]
Thai princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn visited Xiamen, Fujian province from April 5 to 7, her fourth visit to the city.
Zhuang Jiahan, mayor of Xiamen, met with princess Sirindhorn on April 7.
Zhuang said that princess Sirindhorn is an old friend of the Chinese people and has made great contributions to enhancing friendly relations between Thailand and China.
Xiamen and Thailand enjoy close relations as they are popular tourist destinations for each other's peoples.
He also noted that thanks to the embassy of Thailand in China and its consulate general in Xiamen, both sides have yielded fruitful results in investment, trade, culture, education and tourism.
Princess Sirindhorn praised Xiamen's remarkable achievements in economic and social development, adding that she will continue promoting Thailand's cooperation with Xiamen in various fields.
During the meeting, Xu Xipeng, principal of Xiamen-based Huaqiao University, introduced the positive role the Sirindhorn Library has played in strengthening exchanges between Thai and Chinese students as well as the situations of Thai students at HQU.
As early as 1981, princess Sirindhorn launched her first visit to China, becoming the first member of the royal family in Thailand to visit the country.
Princess Sirindhorn visited HQU in 2006, at which time she unveiled her namesake library and established the Princess Sirindhorn Scholarship to subsidize Thai students' study in China.
In 2015, in order to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the consulate general of Thailand in Xiamen, on behalf of princess Sirindhorn, donated 200,000 yuan ($30,000) to maintain the Sirindhorn Library.
At the invitation of the Chinese government, princess Sirindhorn visited China from April 3 to 10 and Xiamen was her second stop. She will move on to Hong Kong and end her trip in Macao.
Zhuang Jiahan sees princess Sirindhorn off at Xiamen North Railway Station. [Photo/fo.xm.gov.cn]
China announced and implemented on May 15 a policy allowing visa-free entry of foreign tourist groups aboard cruise ships via all cruise ship ports along the country's coastline.
China and Georgia are set to waive visa requirements for travelers starting May 28.
