October 13, 2016
No.241
The Republic of China has conveyed its deepest sympathies to Kingdom of Thailand on the passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. President Tsai Ing-wen and Premier Lin Chuan have both extended their condolences to the Thai government on behalf of the ROC government and people through the Taipei Economic and Trade Office in Thailand.
Thanks to H.M. King Bhumibol’s efforts, a foundation for prosperity and development was laid for Thailand, allowing it to become a model for other developing countries in Southeast Asia. During his reign, the king’s leadership secured the best interests of Thailand and its people. The passing of His Majesty is not only a great loss to the Thai people, but the international community has also lost a role model for leadership.
His Majesty and the Queen Sirikit visited the ROC from June 5 to 8, 1963, when they were greeted by then President and Madame Chiang Kai-shek. The two countries have enjoyed an amicable relationship over the years, with close contacts existing in the private sector as well. As one of Taiwan’s top ten trade partners, Thailand is also a leading destination in Southeast Asia for Taiwanese tourists.
While Taiwan and Thailand maintain close political, economic, educational, and cultural exchanges, agricultural cooperation can be traced back to the 1970s. To improve the living standards of farmers in northeastern Thailand, the late King, for whom the people were paramount in mind, established the Thailand Royal Project Foundation, which invited Taiwan to send experts to help farmers develop high-economic value crops. The project bore much fruit. (E)