Over decades, Thai royal family has forged personal bonds with China’s leaders
Late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej hosted most top leaders from Beijing, including Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin
The Thai royal family has a long history with China, and King Bhumibol Adulyadej met most Chinese leaders after Beijing and Bangkok re-established diplomatic ties in the mid-1970s.
Ascending to the throne in 1946, the American-born king was one of the few foreign heads of state who met late leader Deng Xiaoping soon after he regained power in November 1978, after the Cultural Revolution. Deng visited Southeast Asia, and Thailand was his first stop ahead of Singapore and Malaysia.
During the five-day visit, Deng held talks with Bhumibol in his palace and was later invited to attend the ordination ceremony hosted by the king for the crown prince, Maha Vajiralongkorn, then 26 years old.
Deng accepted the invitation and was the one who handed the crown prince a saffron robe – a move Chinese state media later said had won Deng “the heart of the people in Thailand”, where Buddhism is the main religion.
Though the king rarely travels abroad, he has met almost every top Chinese leader that has visited his country since bilateral relations resumed in 1975.