New York, September 21 (AseanAll) — The new Prime Minister of Thailand expressed the hope for Thailand and the United States to establish a closer and comprehensive alliance and strategic partnership
According to the Thai government website, on September 20, 2023, at St. Regis Hotel, New York City, U.S.A., Thai Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Srettha Thavisin delivered remarks at the Gala Dinner hosted in his honor by the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council (USABC) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (USCC). Government Spokesperson Chai Wacharonke disclosed gist of the meeting as follows:
The Prime Minister thanked USABC for hosting this dinner, which he considered as the highlight of this first overseas visit in his capacity as the Prime Minister of Thailand.
He also expressed his pleasure to meet so many prominent business leaders, as their presence reflected immense interest and importance that American business community accords to Thailand.
The Prime Minister hoped that the event served as a platform for networking and forging new partnerships that further connect the two countries and economies.
According to the Prime Minister, Thailand and the U.S. are natural and mutually-beneficial partners. Most notable are the ties among business communities which have grown from strength to strength, as the two countries celebrate the 190th anniversary of Thai-U.S. diplomatic relations.
Bilateral trade rebounded robustly regardless of the global pandemic, exceeding 65 billion dollars last year, with the U.S. reclaiming its position as Thailand’s second largest trading partner for the first time in 15 years. This resurgence clearly underscores existing strong and resilient supply chain connectivity. On the investment front, Thailand enjoyed over 1.1 billion dollars investments from the U.S. last year. The U.S. now ranks No. 3 on Thailand’s investment billboard. Simultaneously, Thai investments in the U.S. are on the rise, reaching a promising total of about 13 billion dollars so far. The Prime Minister expressed confidence that this partnership has much potential to grow. His government’s top priority is to re-ignite Thailand’s competitiveness and position as a leading investment destination, an engine of growth for the region, and as a place where people can equally enjoy a quality livelihood.
The Prime Minister took the opportunity to highlight key policies and the vast opportunities for the U.S. companies:
1) Shifting the economy into a high gear through implementation of progressive stimulus package to create the big wave, which will include the 10,000-baht (285 dollars) Digital Wallet Scheme to inject around 16 billion dollars cash flow into Thai economy through high-security blockchain system.
2) Rising consumption must come with rising responsibility. Like the U.S., the Thai Government is fully committed to pursuing sustainable and inclusive path for growth through revving up green economy and energy transition while doubling efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and net-zero emissions by 2065.
3) Rebuilding an “Innovative, Inclusive and Integrated (3Is) Thailand” for the future generations, and ensuring that the nation can innovate with knowledge and creativity, businesses and people from all walks of life can enjoy inclusivity from an open society and good governance, and the whole-of-government and whole-of-society are integrated to ensure Thailand is on par with global competitiveness in the long-run.
On trade, in order to open up new market opportunities for businesses and reinforce Thailand’s position as an integral partner for the U.S. global supply chains, FTA negotiations will be sped up with key economies and actively participate in innovative integration at bilateral and multilateral fora. The Government is fully committed to creating a more conducive investment climate for ease of doing business, and will put more efforts on advancing a comprehensive regulatory guillotine, digitization of government services, and a more streamlined process and attractive package for foreign investments under Thailand’s Board of Investment (BOI) and the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).
“Now is the time for you to do more business in Thailand”, the Prime Minister stated, and reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to the betterment of Thai society, including the business community in Thailand. The country is more than open and ready to be a trusted and reliable partner for secured, diverse, and resilient supply chain.
He also called on their support as key agents of change, to leverage mutual strengths and drive our future towards the second century of an even closer and comprehensive alliance and strategic partnership.
