Thailand

1

• Thailands DiplomacyThe Way Forward, A Personal
  View

2
Thailand Foreign Policy Forward Engagement

• To forge cooperative ties with her immediate
  neighbours and regional partners.
• To increase multi-tiered dialogues and
  cooperation
• At the bilateral, sub-regional, and regional
  levels to reinforce the dynamism of Asia as a
  meaningful partner.
• To expand its relationship with other regions
  such as Central Asia, West Asia and the Middle
  East.

3
Major Priorities

• Attaches great importance to immediate
  neighbours. ACMECS
• Reinvigorates ASEAN in order to strengthen
  ASEANs solidarity and relevancy.
• Establishes a vibrant network of an Asia-wide
  cooperation under the framework of Asia
  Cooperation Dialogue or ACD.
• Conducts a proactive economic diplomacy with
  strategic partners.
• Participates actively in multilateral diplomacy.
• Ensures that necessary MFA services, particularly
  on consul matters , are rendered in an efficient
  and effective manner to the grassroots people.

4
Southeast Asia
5
Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic
Cooperation Strategy or ACMECS

• ACMECS was established on 29 April 2003
• ACMECS comprises Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR,
  Myanmar and Vietnam(joined the group on 10 May
  2004)
• ACMECS is emphasis
• -Using self-help and partnership to achieve
  sustainable
• development
• -Creating more jobs and narrowing the income
  gap
• -Building block for the ASEANs 3 pillared
  communities
• (the ASEAN Economic Community, the ASEAN
  Security
• Community, the ASEAN Socio-Cultural
  Community)
• France, Germany, Japan and New Zealand as well as
  the Asian Development Bank also expressed
  interest in taking part in this intitive

6

• The main objectives of the ACMECS are
• To increase competitiveness and generate greater
  growth along the borders
• To facilitate relocation of agricultural and
  manufacturing industries to areas with
  comparative advantage
• To create employment opportunities and reduce
  income disparity among the four countries
• To enhance peace, stability and shared prosperity
  for all in a sustainable manner.
• 2. The ACMECS activities shall be
• Complementary to and enhance the existing
  bilateral and regional economic cooperation
• Deliverable with tangible results, utilizing
  comparative advantage of each country
• Feasible and be acceptable to the countries
  concerned
• Undertaken on the basis of voluntary and
  equitable sharing of benefits
• Undertaken on the basis of consensus between the
  partners concerned.

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• 3. The areas of cooperation of the ACMECS
  include
• Trade and Investment Facilitation
• to capitalize the comparative advantage of the
  countries concerned
• to facilitate smooth flow of goods and investment
  for job creation
• to create income generation and reduce
  socioeconomic disparities.
• Agricultural and Industrial Cooperation
• to strengthen and enhance cooperation efforts in
  agriculture and industry by establishing and
  improving infrastructure facilities, joint
  production, marketing and purchasing
  arrangements, research and development and
  exchange of information.
• Transport linkages
• to develop and utilize transport linkages among
  the countries concerned
• to facilitate trade, investment, agriculture and
  industrial production and tourism.
• Tourism Cooperation
• to promote a joint strategy for tourism
  cooperation among the countries concerned
• to facilitate tourism among the four countries
  and from the other regions.
• Human Resources Development
• to enhance capacity building of peoples and
  institutions
• to initiate measures to develop a HRD strategy
  that is regionally competitive.

8
Greater Mekong Sub-region Cooperation or GMS

• GMS was established since 1992
• Asian Development Bank or ADB is a main sponsor
• SMS comprises comprises Thailand, Myanmar,
  Cambodia, Viet Nam, Lao People's Democratic
  Republic, and Yunnan Province in the People's
  Republic of China.
• Total population of GMS is about 250 million.

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The main areas of the Greater Mekong Subregion or
GMS are

• Transport
• Communication
• Energy
• Trade
• Investment
• Agricultural
• Environment
• Tourism
• Human Resources Development

10
"Flagship" programs in 11 key areas

• North-South Economic Corridor
• East-West Economic Corridor
• Southern Economic Corridor
• Telecommunication Backbone
• Regional Power Interconnection and Trading
  Arrangements
• Facilitating Cross-Border Trade and Investment
• Enhancing Private Sector Participation and
  Competitiveness
• Developing Human Resources and Skills
  Competencies
• Strategic Environmental Framework
• Flood Control and Water Resource Management
• GMS Tourism Development

11
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

• The Association of Southeast Asian Nations
  (ASEAN) was established on August 8, 1967 by
  Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore,
  and Thailand
• Brunei Darussalam when it joined on January 7,
  1984, Vietnam became the seventh member in 1995,
  and Laos and Myanmar joined two years later in
  July 1997. Cambodia later joined on April 30,
  1999. Thus was completed the ASEAN-10the
  organization of all countries in Southeast Asia.
• Objectives
• To strengthen the economic and social stability
  of the region
• To ensure peaceful and progressive national
  development and
• To ensure stability and security from external
  interference

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The Thrusts of ASEAN Economic Cooperation

• The Thrusts of ASEAN Economic Cooperation include
  the following
• To fully implement the ASEAN Free Trade Area
  (AFTA) ,signed in 1992
• To become a free trade area with no tariff and
  non-tariff barriers among the member countries
• To develop the region into a global base for the
  manufacture of value added and technologically
  sophisticated products geared towards servicing
  the region and world markets
• To enhance the industrial efficiency of the
  region
• To enhance the attractiveness of the region for
  investment and as a tourist destination
• To cooperate in enhancing greater infrastructural
  development which will contribute towards more
  efficient business environment and
• To ensure that the rich resources (minerals,
  energy, forestry and others) of the region are
  exploited effectively and efficiently.

13
Association of Southeast Asian Nations with
China, Japan, and South Korea (ASEAN3)

• The meeting of ASEAN3 (China, Japan, South
  Korea) was first held at the Second Informal
  ASEAN Summit in 16 December 1997.
• To promote greater cooperation between ASEAN and
  three Northeast Asian nations with an objective
  of becoming a building block for regional
  cooperation in East Asia

14
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for
Multilateral-Sectoral Technical and Economic
Cooperation ( BIMST-EC)

• BIMST-EC was established on 6 June 1997
• Member Countries Bangladesh, Bhutan, India,
  Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand
• Objectives
• To jointly assessing the challenges and
  opportunities for economic co-operation in
  BIMST-EC region
• To strengthen economic cooperation between
  Thailand and countries in South Asia, Look West
  Policy
• To establish a BIMST-EC Free Trade Area which
  signed in BKK on 31 July 2004

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Areas of cooperation within BIMSTEC

• Trade and investment led by Bangladesh, divided
  into 2 categories as follows1.1 Goods and
  services with the following 8 sub-sectors1.2
  Trade and investment facilitation with 7
  sub-sectors
• Transport and Communication led by India
• Energy led by Myanmar
• Tourism led by India
• Agriculture and Fisheries led by Thailand
• BIMSTECs Working Mechanism

16
Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD)
17
Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD)

• The ACD was established on June 2002 by 26
  countries
• Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia,
  China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan,
  Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Laos PDR, Malaysia,
  Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar,
  Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Viet Nam,
  Mongolia, United Arab Emirates and Iran, and
  Bhutan (at the next annual ACDs meeting in
  Pakistan)
• To be admitted formally objectives
• To serve as the missing linkage bringing together
  these groupings to generate partnership and
  strength from diversity
• To enhance capacity-building at the region-wide
  dimension
• To maintain a top-down characteristic and
  emphasizing positive thinking, inclusiveness and
  comfort level for all participants.
• To generate partnership and strength for
  diversity at the region-wide

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Multilateral Level

• Pursues Thailands commitment to Millennium
  Development Goals (MDGs) incorporated povertys
  eradication goal to 5th national Economic and
  social development plan.
• Continues support UN areas of cooperation
  (humanitarian assistance, promotion of human
  rights, non-proliferation of nuclear weapons,
  human security, combating transnational crimes,
  Promote Thailands successful implementation of
  dual Track policy within the sufficiency economy
  Philosophy ).
• Promotes (sustainable development).

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Free Trade Arrangement

• Thailand has concluded framework agreements with
  the following countries
• US, Trade and Investment Framework Agreement
• Bahrain, Closer Economic Partnership
• India, framework agreement for establishing
  bilateral FTA
• Peru, Closer Economic Partnership
• Considering negotiating FTAs with Sri Lanka,
  Bangladesh, Mexico, South Africa

20
Conclusion

• There is an increasing trend of expanding and
  deepening regional integration at all levels
• This trend should help bring greater prosperity
  and promote better understanding among countries
  in the region