Thailand’s long-time Sinophile Princess Sirindhorn to receive China’s Friendship Medal
- The princess’ relationship with China goes back almost four decades, and experts say it has helped bolster ties between the countries
- Next month, she will be one of six recipients of the medal bestowed as the People’s Republic celebrates its 70th anniversary
Thailand’s Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s relationship with China goes back almost four decades. Over that time, her work to promote Sino-Thai relations – particularly in diplomacy and the arts – has earned her much recognition on the mainland. In 2009, the princess was voted one of the “Ten Best International Friends of China” for her contribution towards cultural exchanges and friendly ties between the two countries.
Next month, as the People’s Republic of China celebrates its 70th anniversary, Princess Sirindhorn will be among the six recipients of the Friendship Medal, an award bestowed to foreigners who have made great contributions to “supporting China’s socialist modernisation, promoting exchanges and cooperation between China and foreign countries and safeguarding world peace”, according to Xinhua.
The other five recipients are Cuba’s Raul Castro Ruz, Tanzania’s Salim Ahmed Salim, Russia’s Galina Kulikova, France’s Jean-Pierre Raffarin and Canada’s Isabel Crook.
Princess Sirindhorn is one of the first ‘elites’ in Thailand to visit China and it helped turn around Thai people’s perception about the country
Associate professor Sitthiphon Kruarattikan, director of the Institute of East Asian Studies at Thammasat University, said it was a joyous moment for Thais to see the princess receiving such a special honour from China.
“When China first opened to the world and during the cold war, Thailand saw the country with suspicious eyes. There was all kinds of talk about [China] being a threat to security and an ideological foe,” he said.
“Princess Sirindhorn is one of the first ‘elites’ in Thailand to visit China and it helped turn around Thai people’s perception about the country … During her first visit almost forty years ago, the Princess had a chance to witness China as the market economy kicked off, at one of its most transformative periods.”
In 1980, when Princess Sirindhorn first took up Mandarin lessons, Beijing was in the process of opening up to the world. Two years previously, her father – the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej – had received then paramount leader Deng Xiaoping on his state visit to Thailand, as part of a tour of Southeast Asia that also included stops in Singapore and Malaysia.