19-11-2023 (SAN FRANCISCO) Chinese President Xi Jinping engaged in a light-hearted football banter with Thai Prime Minister Srettha during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco, as captured in a circulating video on Saturday, November 18, posted on the Thai government’s social media account.
In the video, Xi Jinping humorously remarked to Srettha, “My hands are small, can’t grab a basketball, but I can kick a football.” Srettha responded in English, saying, “You like football? I do too.” He also informed Xi Jinping that on the 16th, the Chinese football team defeated the Thai team in the World Cup qualifiers.
Xi Jinping responded, expressing some uncertainty about the current level of the Chinese national football team, stating, “But I think it’s mostly luck because, at this point, I’m not sure about the standard of our national football team. It has its ups and downs.”
Thai PM Srettha Thavisin met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in USA and had a chat about World Cup football qualifying round match between Thailand and China. Hosts Thailand lost 2-1 to China in Bangkok on Thursday night. #APEC2023 #WorldCup2026 pic.twitter.com/2zYKzsPPTJ
— The Nation Thailand (@Thenationth) November 18, 2023
