Anutin’s four ‘jiayou’ cheers dominate Sichuan media coverage
Sichuan media focused on Anutin Charnvirakul’s four ‘jiayou’ cheers, underscoring people-to-people ties beyond Thailand–China trade and investment.
- Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul repeated the Chinese expression "jiayou" four times during a speech at an investment and economic forum in Sichuan.
- The specific phrase used was "Jiayou Thailand, jiayou Sichuan, jiayou China, jiayou good friends," which was met with warm applause.
- The Thai government views the media's focus on the remark as a sign that Thailand-China relations are strengthening at a public, people-to-people level.
Chinese media have highlighted Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s use of the Chinese expression ‘jiayou’ four times during a speech in Sichuan, portraying the gesture as a sign of friendship that resonated beyond the forum’s economic agenda.
Deputy government spokeswoman Lalida Persvivatana reported on Sunday (July 19) that Chinese coverage of the prime minister’s visit had focused not only on economic and investment cooperation but also on his efforts to communicate directly with the Chinese public.
She noted that Sichuan Online, a major news outlet under Sichuan Daily, covered Anutin’s appearance at the 2026 Thailand–China (Sichuan) Investment and Economic Forum. Instead of focusing primarily on trade or investment, the outlet highlighted his Chinese remarks in a headline noting that the Thai prime minister had repeated ‘jiayou’ four times.
At the end of his keynote address, Anutin delivered four lines: ‘Jiayou Thailand, jiayou Sichuan, jiayou China, jiayou good friends.’
‘Jiayou’ is a widely used Chinese expression of encouragement that can be understood as ‘keep going’, ‘come on’ or ‘let us move forward together’.
Sichuan Online described the remarks as a sincere expression of Anutin’s desire to strengthen relations between Thailand and China, as well as cooperation between Thailand and Sichuan. His remarks were greeted with warm applause from participants.
The government viewed the outlet’s decision to focus on the brief Chinese phrases, despite the forum’s extensive discussions on economics, trade and investment, as reflecting the importance that Chinese media place on public engagement and people-to-people connectivity alongside cooperation between governments and businesses.
“The government attaches importance to building strong relations with trading partners in every dimension, including economic cooperation, investment, technology and people-to-people exchanges,” Lalida added.
“The fact that Chinese media highlighted remarks reflecting the prime minister’s friendship and sincerity shows that Thailand–China relations are growing not only at the policy level but are also being recognised and welcomed by the public. This is an important foundation for sustainable cooperation between the two countries.”
