Foreign

Thai PM pledges support for China’s Belt and Road Initiative

September 5, 2017

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Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha answers questions from reporters during a press conference at the government house in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, March 31, 2015. Thailand's prime minister has asked the king for formal approval to lift martial law, which the military imposed ahead of a coup last May that overturned an elected government. The monarch's approval is considered a formality. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha pledged on Tuesday to support China’s Belt and Road Initiative and cooperate with BRICS countries in a bid to expand Asia’s international trade, investment, infrastructure and connectivity.

In a written interview with Xinhua, Prayut said his country’s Thailand 4.0 policy will be supportive to China’s Belt and Road Initiative in terms of connectivity.

The Thailand 4.0 policy calls for integrated economic development in all aspects with the use of technology, knowledge, innovation and creativity to reduce economic and social disparities, he said.

As Thailand geographically lies in the middle of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) community, and performs as a gateway to other countries in the Mekong subregion, the country can push forward international cooperation in communities such as ACMECS (Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy), IORA (Indian Ocean Rim Association) and ACD (Asia Cooperation Dialogue).

The prime minister said the Thailand-China railway project is a concrete example of international connectivity which will not only develop railway transportation in Thailand but also link Thailand with China.

The railway project will help boost Thailand’s economy, expand international cooperation, and improve Thai people’s livelihood, he said.

Thailand, which will be chair of ACMECS in 2018, chair of ASEAN in 2019 and chair of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in 2022, will push for regional connectivity schemes in support of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, said the prime minister.

He also said Thailand is ready to cooperate with the BRICS countries in areas of digital technology, e-commerce, online banking and information security.