Bangkok  - Thailand plans to request a 400-million-dollar loan from the China Exim Bank as part of its efforts to stimulate the economy which expected to shrink at least 3 per cent this year, media reports and officials said Wednesday.

The loan request is to be submitted to Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jieshi, who was scheduled to meet Wednesday with Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his Thai counterpart Kasit Piromya, The Nation newspaper reported.

"This loan has been under discussion for some time, since Surayud Chulanont was prime minister in 2007," Thai Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman Thani Thongphakdi said. "But the details had to be worked out."

The loan would be in addition to the 70 billion baht (2 billion dollars) in loans Thailand is seeking from international institutions such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Finance Minister Korn Chatikavaij warned earlier this week that Thailand's gross domestic product (GDP) could contract by 8 to 9 per cent if the government didn't launch its stimulus packages.

Yang was also scheduled to meet with Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda Wednesday afternoon.

Thailand is reportedly hoping to persuade China to hasten an extradition treaty between the kingdom and the Chinese territory Hong Kong to facilitate efforts to silence ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Thaksin, who has been living in self-exile since August 2008, has used Hong Kong on several occasions to launch video or phone-in messages to his political supporters in Thailand.

In his latest phone-in message on Sunday he accused members of the privy council including Surayud of conspiring with the military to topple him in the September 19, 2006 coup.

Surayud, who was appointed prime minister after the coup, denied the accusation on Monday. (dpa)