By Nuttanan Srithorn
BANGKOK, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming official goodwill visit to China will enhance ties between parliaments of China and Thailand in a multi dimension, Chai Chidchob, President of the National Assembly of Thailand told Xinhua on Friday.
Chai, also Speaker of the Thai House of Representatives or the Lower House, will visit China from Jan. 9 to 16 at the invitation of Wu Bangguo, Chairman of China's National People's Congress Standing Committee, the first such visit since he assumed office in May, 2008.
The House Speaker is the first foreign parliamentary head in the world invited to visit China in 2010.
Speaking to Xinhua prior to China tour, the 82-year-old politician said the Thai parliament would like to learn from China's parliamentary working system.
Currently, the parliamentary relations between China and Thailand are going on well and recently a Thai parliamentary delegation has visited China, Chai said.
Now there are some 130 members in the Sino-Thai friendly group under the Thai National Assembly, larger than any other similar groups in Thailand.
Chai also said he is happy that he is invited by Mr. Wu Bangguo, chairman of China's National People's Congress Standing Committee to be a guest of China's parliament.
"The purpose of the visit is to strengthen bilateral cooperation on parliament between the two countries," Chai said, adding "We will discuss about the parliamentary affairs and we would like to link the parliamentary members of the two countries."
Thailand would also ask China for sending Thai parliamentary officials to go to China to learn about China's parliamentary working system, the Thai House Speaker said.
The strengthening of bilateral relations with Thailand will benefit China as Thailand is geographically the center of the ASEAN community, Chai said. It will also be great for Thailand's tourism industry, if China's government encourages more Chinese people to visit Thailand, Chai said.
"Thailand would like more Chinese people to travel to Thailand as they can also meet with their Chinese relatives having lived in Thailand," Chai said.
Chai said that it is possible that he will have a chance to meet with other Chinese leaders during this visit.
The meeting with other Chinese leaders will enable him to learnmore about China's political, social, and economic matter, Chai explained.
Also, Chai said during the visit he will invite Mr. Wu Bangguo to participate in the 122nd Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly and related meetings, which will be held in Thailand.
"We hope that Mr. Wu Bangguo will come to Thailand as China's representative for the 122nd Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly and related meetings," the President of the National Assembly of Thailand said.
Thailand will host the 122nd IPU Assembly and related meetings from March 27 to April 1 in capital Bangkok.
China sent observers to attend the 30th Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), held in Thailand's central resort town of Pattaya on Aug. 2-8, last year.