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Chinese foreign minister and Thai prime minister agree to collaborate on fighting cyberscams

BANGKOK (AP) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Friday during a visit aimed at strengthening the countries’ strategic partnership and expanding cooperation.

The two agreed to strengthen collaboration in fighting transnational crime and cyberscams and other areas, Thai government spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek said.

She said Anutin thanked China for its continued support for Thailand, while Wang congratulated Anutin on retaining his office after an election and expressed confidence that Thailand-China relations will continue to improve.

Anutin greeted Wang at Government House in Bangkok. They shook hands while posing for photographs before the meeting.

Wang also talked earlier with his Thai counterpart Sihasak Phuangketkeow, officials said.

Wang arrived in Thailand on Thursday for a three-day visit following meetings with government ministers in Cambodia focused on enhancing their countries’ political and security ties.

He is scheduled to visit Myanmar next, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

China is Thailand’s biggest trading partner, and the two countries celebrated their 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations last year. Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn also made the first-ever visit to China by a reigning Thai monarch in November.

Chinese investment in Thailand has accelerated in recent years, particularly as many Chinese companies have moved production to Southeast Asia to avoid U.S. tariffs.

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
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