Chinese and Thai youth should strengthen exchanges and friendship and contribute more to the traditional friendship of the two countries, said Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi Monday in Beijing.

Wu made the remarks in a meeting with a Thai delegation of young executives headed by Joe Horn, chief executive officer (CEO)of Strategy 613 Co. Ltd. and advisor on China Affairs to the CEO of Kasikornbank.

Wu said China and Thailand, as close neighbors, have enjoyed a profound and traditional friendship, and the families of all members from this Thai delegation have been engaged in promoting Sino-Thai friendly relations.

She expressed the hope that the delegates can inherit this good tradition and take "promoting bilateral friendship" as their own task.

The friendship between the youth is an important basis of the friendship between the two peoples, and also an important impetus to the healthy growth of bilateral relations, said Wu.

Joe Horn said they will continue to work for deepening the friendship between the two countries and their people.

The delegation arrived here Saturday on a seven-day visit to China at the invitation of the All-China Youth Federation.

The volume of trade between China and Thailand in 2003 reached 12.66 billion US dollars. Last Thursday the two countries agreed to aim for a bilateral trade volume of 30 billion US dollars by 2010.

Source: Xinhua