「Hope to play a greater role in western China’s economic development」
—— Exclusive interview with Zhang Shuzhen (Thippawan Supamitkitja), Consul General of Thailand in Chengdu
文《一帶一路報導》記者 李卉嬪
張淑貞（Thippawan Supamitkitja），獲泰國朱拉隆功大學教育專業學士和泰國法政大學國際事務與外交專業碩士。1989年，她進入泰國外交部工作，並曾在泰國駐奧地利、寮國、澳大利亞大使館任職。2020年8月，張淑貞任泰國駐成都總領事。
Thippawan Supamitkitja, graduated from Chulalongkorn University with a bachelor’s degree in education and then from Thammasat University with a master’s degree in international affairs and diplomacy, joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand in 1989, and afterwards ever took up posts in Thai embassies in Austria, Laos and Australia, and assumed the office of consul general of Thailand in Chengdu in August 2020.
端莊溫婉、細語輕言，她有一個與外表十分契合的中文名字——張淑貞，一頭利落的短髮，又讓她不失外交官的沉穩、幹練。10月20日，在泰國駐成都總領事館，履新泰國駐成都總領事兩個月的張淑貞首次接受媒體正式採訪。第一次來川的她在這之前對四川的了解僅限於川菜，在澳大利亞任職期間，她是川菜館的常客，對川菜的熱愛讓她的胃迅速適應了四川的生活。提到川味美食，她化身「吃貨」，火鍋、辣子雞丁、擔擔麵……一連報出好幾個川菜名，她還忍不住用剛學了3小時的中文補充道，「很好吃，我喜歡！」成都人民的友好讓她倍感親近，這座城市的發展更大大超出了她的預期，「發達的公共運輸，方便、快捷的手機支付，乾淨、整潔的街道，萬萬沒想到，中國西部有一座發展這麼好的現代化城市。」兩個月以來，四川南充市、廣安市、達州市、綿陽市、樂山市，重慶巴南區、武隆區等地都留下了她的足跡。她希望到更多的市州、區縣去考察調研，以期推進川渝各地與泰國的合作。
Elegant, demure, and soft-spoken, she has a beautiful Chinese name that perfectly matches how she comes over — Zhang Shuzhen. At the same time, her short haircut gives her an air of composure and sophistication as diplomat. On October 20, Zhang Shuzhen (Thippawan Supamitkitja), the newly-appointed consul general of Thailand in Chengdu, had her first official media interview at the Thai Consulate General in Chengdu. This is her first trip to Sichuan. Before, what she knew about Sichuan was only Sichuan cuisine. Back when she worked in the Thai embassy in Australia, she was already a frequent of local Sichuan cuisine restaurants. So, her love for Sichuan food has gotten her stomach quickly accustomed to the life in Sichuan. At the mention of Sichuan food, her 「foodie」 side appeared at once. Hot pot, diced chicken with green pepper, Dan Dan Noodles...Uttering a string of Sichuan dish names in one breath, she added spontaneously in Chinese, 「Very delicious! I like them very much!」 Chengdu people’s hospitality is another reason why she can develop an affinity towards this city in just a few months. Moreover, Chengdu’s development really amazed her. 「Chengdu enjoys diverse transportation options, convenient mobile payment, clean and tidy streets and plenty more. It is really beyond my expectation that there is such a great modern city in western China.」 In the past two months, she has conducted field trips to many places in Sichuan and Chongqing, for example, Sichuan’s Nanchong city, Guang』an City, Dazhou City, Mianyang City and Leshan City and Chongqing’s Banan District and Wulong District. In the future, she hopes to visit more local places with the aim of promoting cooperation between Thailand and Sichuan and Chongqing.
「非常重視成渝地區雙城經濟圈建設」
「Thailand assigns great importance to the building of Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle」
川渝地區正在推進成渝地區雙城經濟圈建設、西部陸海新通道建設，您如何看待泰國與川渝地區在此背景下的合作機遇？
張淑貞：泰國非常重視成渝地區雙城經濟圈建設等新戰略的推進，也希望更多地參與中國西部的經濟發展，在「一帶一路」框架下深化泰國與川渝地區進一步合作，推動「一帶一路」建設、成渝地區雙城經濟圈建設與「泰國4.0」戰略、「東部經濟走廊」（EEC）有效對接，促進互聯互通。西部陸海新通道讓川渝地區通過鐵路經廣西與東南亞聯通，並與中歐班列連接，通往歐洲和中亞。有別於傳統東南沿海的海運，我們看好其發展前景。目前，中國東部地區在海關和商檢上已經很成熟，很期待陸海新通道在時效和費用等方面給出更多驚喜。總領事館正在與相關政府部門和高校聯合開展調研，期待泰國「東部經濟走廊」與陸海新通道有效結合併開展務實合作。
Reporter: Sichuan and Chongqing are collaborating on building the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. How do you think of the prospect of cooperation between Thailand and Sichuan and Chongqing in this context?
Thippawan Supamitkitja: Thailand assigns great importance to the implementation of Sichuan’s and Chongqing’s new strategies such as the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, and also hopes to play a greater role in western China’s economic development. Therefore, we are looking to further enhancing cooperation with Sichuan and Chongqing under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and effectively align the Belt and Road Initiative and the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle with the Thailand 4.0 Strategy and the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC). By doing so, we strive to improve connectivity between southwestern China and Thailand. In terms of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, it is designed to link Sichuan and Chongqing with Southeast Asia via Guangxi by railway, and with Europe and Central Asia by China-Europe Railway Express. So, it is indeed unlike those traditional shipping routes along China’s southeast coast, and we are optimistic about its future development. Now, the customs and commodity inspection systems are quite mature in East China, and we expect the corridor will bring us more surprises in time, cost and other aspects. Besides, our Consulate General is teaming up with relevant government bodies and universities to conduct investigations to align our Eastern Economic Corridor with the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor more effectively, thereby enhancing our mutual practical cooperation.
張淑貞：新冠疫情讓經濟發展節奏放緩，在此背景下，泰國駐成都總領事館仍然成功地在成都、重慶舉辦了好幾場以大米、水果等泰國特色農產品為主的推介活動，很受當地人歡迎。中國是世界最大的大米消費國，泰國是大米的主要產地之一，我們希望將更多優質的泰米引入成渝地區。明年，我們還將繼續舉辦更多展會，推廣更多商品。
Reporter: What highlights are there in the economic and trade cooperation between Thailand and Sichuan and Chongqing?
Thippawan Supamitkitja: As we all know, COVID-19 has slowed down the world economic growth. Despite this, our Consulate General has still held a couple of successful promotion activities in Chengdu and Chongqing. They mainly focused on special agricultural products from Thailand, such as rice and fruit, and were very popular among locals. China is the world’s largest rice consumer, and Thailand is one of the world’s major rice producers. In this connection, we hope to bring more quality Thai rice to Sichuan and Chongqing, and we will hold more promotion activities next year to bring more quality Thai products to local people.
「中國的扶貧舉措值得學習」
「China’s poverty alleviation measures are very enlightening for us」
張淑貞：各級政府在產業和經濟發展方面的規劃以及對扶貧工作的重視令我印象深刻。我去到每個地方，都可以看到他們制定了詳細的發展藍圖，有完整的經濟、產業發展規劃。各地還將環保與產業發展有機結合，強調綠色發展理念。我去看了三國文化景區、文物遺址等，大家很重視文化的保護、傳承與發揚，這些都值得泰國和其他國家學習。廣安開展的東西部扶貧協作，成都市蒲江縣明月村依託文創產業讓舊村換新顏，這些都是我以前沒接觸過的，很讓人振奮。泰國也存在經濟發展不平衡及貧困問題，中國解決貧困問題的措施非常值得我們學習。
Reporter: In the past two months, you have visited many local places. And which places have impressed you most?
Thippawan Supamitkitja: What impressed me most is how local governments plan their industrial and economic development and highlight their poverty alleviation work. At every place I visited, I can see their elaborate blueprints for development, including complete plans for economic and industrial development. In the meanwhile, local governments also organically integrate environmental protection and industrial development to throw green development concept into sharper relief. I also visited the Three Kingdoms culture scenic areas and ruins where protecting, inheriting and carrying forward culture are highly prized. These are things well worth learning by Thailand and other countries. Besides, I also went to Guang』an City which has coordinated the west and the east to alleviate poverty, and Mingyue Village in Chengdu’s Pujiang County that has received a makeover by developing cultural creativity industry. I have never seen these things before, and they are very encouraging. Thailand also faces imbalance and poverty issues in terms of economic growth, and China’s poverty alleviation measures are very enlightening for us.
「泰國將儘快恢復旅遊業」
「Thailand will kick-start tourism as soon as possible」
新冠疫情給各產業帶來了衝擊，中國遊客赴泰旅遊何時可以恢復？
張淑貞：泰國一直是中國遊客最喜歡的旅遊目的地之一，2019年，赴泰旅遊的中國遊客達1100萬人次，其中，100萬人次來自川渝地區。旅遊業是我國的四大支柱產業之一，疫情暴發以來，泰國經濟遭受沉重打擊，希望能儘快恢復經濟和旅遊業的發展。目前，泰國已逐步放開對外國人的入境限制，允許有工作許可證的外籍僱員、留學生、泰國人的外籍配偶以及赴泰進行攝影錄製、會展的人等11類人群申請進入泰國，但對於普通的短期遊客申請赴泰，目前仍是不允許的。
泰國疫情防控成效顯著，很快有效地控制了疫情的傳播。感謝川渝地區的泰國友城給我們捐贈的口罩、測溫槍等防疫物資。
Reporter: COVID-19 has dealt a blow to all industries. When can Chinese tourists travel to Thailand again?
Thippawan Supamitkitja: Thailand remains one of the most popular travel destinations among Chinese tourists. In 2019, the headcount of Chinese tourists to Thailand reached 11 million, of which one million came from Sichuan and Chongqing. As tourism is one of our country’s four pillar industries, our economy has gotten a real hard hit by the outbreak. Therefore, we hope we can kick-start the economy and the tourism as soon as possible. At the moment, Thailand has gradually eased entry restrictions, allowing eleven categories of foreigners to enter Thailand after application. They include foreign employees with working permit, foreign students, foreign spouses of Thais, and those who go to Thailand for camera shooting or MICE activities, etc. While the entry application from regular short-stay tourists is still rejected for the time being.
In epidemic prevention and control, Thailand has put in place effective measures, and contained the spreading quickly. Speaking of this, I want to thank our sister cities in Sichuan and Chongqing for donating masks, thermometer guns and other medical supplies to us.
「達成四大工作項目」
「I have four targets for my work」
張淑貞：首先是要加強川泰教育方面的合作，這關係到雙方合作的長久性和延續性。我們將推進泰語教學、職業教育、互派留學生等方面的合作。綿陽市先鋒路詩琳通公主小學開設了泰語選修課，這是中國小學教育階段唯一一個開設泰語教學的學校。此外，總領事館還在積極推動泰國職業教育委員會與四川省教育廳籤署合作協議，促進川泰職業教育、教育人才的交流合作；促成成都工業學院與泰國先皇北曼谷理工大學的線上交流，推動雙方在教師交流、學生培養、聯合科研等方面的合作。
二是經貿合作方面，將重點推動川泰跨境電商合作，讓更多四川和泰國的優質商品打破時間、空間限制，創新方式推動兩地進出口貿易。疫情結束後，我們將邀請四川企業到泰國考察投資環境，歡迎健康產業、創新產業、現代汽車、人工智慧等領域的企業到泰國投資。
三是繼續推進友城關係的建立，建立更多川渝地區與泰國友城關係，加強友城的有效務實合作。
四是促進民間友好合作，總領事館今年10月參加了2020成都熊貓國際美食薈活動，並將繼續通過舉辦泰國風情周、泰國文化周、泰國美食推廣以及其他友好活動，來推動川泰民間友好交流，增進四川人民對泰國文化的了解，深化兩地人民的友誼。
Reporter: What are your targets during your time as Thai Consul General in Chengdu?
Thippawan Supamitkitja: My first target is strengthening education cooperation between Sichuan and Thailand. That’s because it concerns whether our mutual cooperation can sustain. In the future, we will promote cooperation in aspects such as Thai teaching, vocational education and exchange students. For example, Mianyang Xianfenglu Sirindhorn Primary School has opened Thai optional course, becoming the first and only primary school in China offering Thai teaching course. Moreover, our Consulate General are also helping to bring about a cooperation agreement between the Office of the Vocational Education Commission of Thailand and the Education Department of Sichuan Province on enhancing exchange and cooperation between Sichuan and Thailand in vocational education and education talent; and an online exchange program between Chengdu Technological University and King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok on mutual cooperation in teacher exchange, student cultivation, joint research and development and other aspects.
My second target is enhancing economic and trade cooperation between Sichuan and Thailand. Our focus will be put on promoting mutual cooperation in cross-border e-commerce so that more and more quality products from Sichuan and Thailand can be offered to each other’s consumers regardless of time and space and Sichuan-Thailand foreign trade can be boosted in an innovative way. When the epidemic is brought under complete control, we will invite Sichuan enterprises to Thailand to experience first-hand our investment environment, and we warmly welcome enterprises such as those in health care, innovation, modern automobile and artificial intelligence to invest in Thailand.
My third target is continuing to develop mutual sister-city relationships. In the future, we will establish sister-city relationships with more cities in Sichuan and Chongqing and strengthen practical and effective cooperation between our sister cities.
My fourth target is enhancing friendly people-to-people exchange. In October, our Consulate General attended the 2020 Chengdu Panda International Food & Culture Carnival. On our part, we will also hold diverse friendly exchange activities in the future such as Thai Festival Week, Thai Culture Week and Thai cuisine promotion as we hope to advance mutual friendly people-to-people exchange, enhance Sichuan people’s understanding of the Thai culture, and make the friendship between Sichuan and Thai people even closer.
文章來源：《一帶一路報導》2020年第6期
圖片來源：新華社
編輯：雷怡安
審核：李卉嬪
主編：鄧灼