Chinese actor Wang Xing, who has been missing at the Thai-burmese border, met his family in Bangkok on the morning of August 8. Thai police said after an initial investigation confirmed that Wang is a victim of human trafficking, subsequent plans to send him back to China within 1 to 2 days. Thai China National Tourism Administration staff told the Global Times on the 8th that the Thai China National Tourism Administration will continue to work closely with the tourism police and other departments, make every effort to ensure the safety of tourists in Thailand.
According to the Bangkok Post, citing Thai police, Wang came to Thailand after learning of the film’s casting, but was taken to the border to receive training on how to defraud other Chinese. Police added that Wang had not been beaten or ill-treated and would be questioned in more detail about his experiences in Myanmar, focusing on the suspect who lured him there.
Thai police escort Chinese actor Wang Xing at the airport on January 7,2025. Visual China
Thailand’s“National newspaper” further reported that according to Thai police revealed that Wang Xing missing behind the Chinese participation. The inspector general of the Thai National Police, Tachachai, said that apart from a Thai taxi driver hired to transport Wang to Tak in the north-west of the country, no other Thai citizens had been found to be involved in the case.
The incident has attracted great attention from various departments in Thailand, especially the tourism authorities. Tourism is one of the pillars of the Thai economy, accounting for more than 20% of GDP each year. Thailand attracted 35.54 million foreign visitors, an increase of 26.27 percent year-on-year, thanks to visa-free policies and the opening of additional 2024 routes, deputy spokesman for the Office of the Prime Minister said Thursday Tourism revenue exceeded 1.67 trillion baht (353.7 billion yuan) , up 34 percent year-on-year. The top three countries for foreign visitors to Thailand were China, Malaysia and India. Thai China National Tourism Administration told the Global Times on the 8th that they are concerned about the incident involving actor Wang Xing, it also closely monitors news developments and discussions on Chinese social media platforms and assesses whether they may affect tourist sentiment, particularly during the Chinese New Year, which runs from January 28 to February 4.
The China National Tourism Administration’s five offices in China will continue to monitor developments and changes in public sentiment, said Tamperini. The Tourism Bureau has warned Chinese tourists to be highly concerned about cyber security and check information carefully when conducting online transactions. Surava, vice-chairman of the Thai Tourism Commission, said it was too early to assess the impact of the incident on Chinese tourists visiting Thailand during the Lunar New Year holiday. The Bangkok Post said there were no reports of flight cancellations due to the incident.