Chinese Science and Technology Minister Xu Guanhua Friday signed an agreement with his Thai counterpart Korn Thapparansi to push forward the two countries' cooperation in science and technology.
  
The Sino-Thai memorandum was aimed to set up framework and priority fields for bilateral scientific and technical cooperation.
  
The documents also specified methods to further scientific and technical cooperation, including information exchange, experts and scientists visiting and joint research program.
  
The Chinese government has worked out its mid-and-long term national plan for science and technology development over the next 15 years, Xu said at the signing ceremony. Improving international cooperation in science and technology is one of the major parts of
the national plan, he said.
  
The Thai government has long attached great importance to cooperation with China in developing science and technology, said Korn.
  
Signing of the memorandum will further the two sides' good cooperation in the related fields, he added, noting it will also benefit the comprehensive bilateral relations.
  
China and Thailand have started cooperation in developing science and technology since 1978, when the two governments first signed a related agreement.
  
According to the agreement, a committee of scientists and officials from both countries meet once in every two years to review and work out cooperation plans in science and technology.
  
The two countries have been carrying on some 40 cooperation projects in science and technology yearly, Wang Xiajuan, project officer of Chinese Science and Technology Ministry, told Xinhua. 

(Xinhua News Agency July 30, 2005)