Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on Wednesday signed contracts with China worth US$400 million in Guangzhou, capital of southern China's Guangdong Province.

They included deals for two Chinese enterprises to import US$280 million worth of rubber and US$140 million worth of fruit from Thailand.

Samak said at the signing ceremony that Thailand would work to expand the export of agricultural produce to China and welcome China's agricultural produce to Thailand.

The China-ASEAN trade agreements had played a great role in Thailand-China economic and trade relations, Samak said.

Samak also visited the Jiangnan fruit wholesale market, the largest fruit and vegetable wholesale market in China, on Wednesday morning.

General manager Ye Canjiang said the market imported Thai fruit worth more than US$2.5 billion every year.

Samak tasted Thai longan, then picked some mangosteens and durians, cutting them open and sharing them with Chinese merchants.

He asked the Chinese merchants about their specific needs.

Samak said he was "very optimistic" about the prospect of Thai fruit in the Chinese market. Thailand would try its best to ensure the quality of the export produce.

The governor of Guangdong, Huang Huahua, met with Samak on Wednesday evening, and pledged closer economic ties with Thailand.

Samak said Thailand welcomed Guangdong enterprises to come and invest, saying the Thai consulate in Guangzhou would be further expanded in order to meet the needs of increasing bilateral cooperation.

Samak arrived in Beijing on Monday for a four-day official visit to China. He will leave Guangzhou for Brunei on Thursday.

It is his first China trip since he was appointed prime minister in January this year.

(Xinhua News Agency July 3, 2008)