Foreign media highlight premier's visit

Thai, Vietnamese, Singaporean and other foreign media have continued to closely follow Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's Southeast Asian tour, saying it boosted trade and promoted the economic prosperity of the region.  [Special coverage]

China has agreed to increase its purchase of rice and rubber from Thailand, a major development on the nations' previous deal, the Bangkok Post reported in its story titled, "Li agrees to boost rice, rubber imports".

"Good ties between Thailand and China were the main reason China had agreed to increase the rice import at the Thai government's request," it quoted Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra as saying.

The newspaper also published a photo on its front page showing Li's visit to Chiang Mai's "One Tambon, One Product" distribution center, accompanied by Yingluck.

The Nation, another English-language newspaper in the country, also said in a story titled "More rice for China" that Beijing has agreed to increase the amount of rice it will buy from Thailand over the next five years.

Thailand's Chinese-language newspaper Asia News Time covered Li's visit to the distribution center in Chiang Mai and the bilingual Chongfah Sinseung Wanich Bamrung School in the same city.

According to the newspaper, teachers at the school hoped that Li's visit would promote China-Thailand cultural exchanges, including Chinese-language education, which, in turn, will bolster overall exchanges between the two countries.

The newspaper also carried a report on Li's arrival in Vietnam after wrapping up his visit to Thailand.

Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times reported Li's visit to Vietnam, saying Li and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung have agreed to further the bilateral partnership in maritime and financial matters.