Thai PM stuns Beijing with iconic Teresa Teng song at lunch during historic China visit
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Thai PM stuns Beijing with iconic Teresa Teng song at lunch during historic China visit")
Thailand’s Prime Minister performs music at the stage. Photograph: (X/@ThaiEnquirer)
Visuals surfaced on social media from the lunch showing Charnvirakul holding a microphone at a long table. During this, Li and other official members also watched and lauded his performance.
Anutin Charnvirakul, Thailand’s Prime Minister, astonished guests during a lunch organised by Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing by singing “Tian Mi Mi” (Sweet Honey), a famous love story song by the late Taiwanese music icon Teresa Teng. The event occurred at the end of the first official visit of the Thai prime minister to China. During his trip, he also made a visit to Shanghai, where he met Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Visuals surfaced on social media from the lunch showing Charnvirakul holding a microphone at a long table. During this, Li and other official members also watched and lauded his performance. In the event, Thai and Chinese flags were displayed in the background. His act was the recent example of what several have described as Charnvirakul’s “musical diplomacy”.
Thailand’s Prime Minister's multiple acts
Earlier this month, while meeting Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Thailand's PM was seen playing the saxophone as Ibrahim sang “My Way”, the classic tune closely linked with Frank Sinatra. Footage of the performance spread widely online, with one observer likening it to an “ASEAN Idol” episode, in reference to the Southeast Asian nations.
On a separate trip to Hanoi in June, Charnvirakul performed alongside local musicians, playing a traditional Vietnamese instrument in the presence of Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung. At a dinner hosted by the Vietnamese government, musicians played Thai songs, including Bird Thongchai's "Sabai Sabai", using traditional Vietnamese instruments, with the Thai PM joining in for at least two numbers.
Charnvirakul is said to be skilled in multiple instruments, including piano and the Thai flute, and also pilots planes as a hobby. Though he hails from a wealthy family with roots in the construction business, he has sought to cultivate a more down-to-earth public image. On July 14, he also performed a duet of the Thai rock track "Som San" alongside teen star Rattikarn "Praew" Amloy, popularly known as Nene Royal.
