Bangkok--Jun 5--MFA
Mr. Marius Johan Varekamp, President of The Hague Chamber of Commerce,
Mr. Jan de Kam, President of the Netherlands-Thailand Chamber of Commerce,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you for your kind words of welcome and for your generous hospitality.
Let me also express my sincere appreciation to the Netherlands-Thailand Chamber of Commerce for organizing this gathering of so many people who have contributed to the strengthening of business connections between our two countries, and hence overall Thai-Dutch relations.
Thank you for your role. Thank you for being friends of Thailand.
I look forward to listening to your perspectives and exchanging views with you later after my remarks.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Netherlands is one of Thailand’s oldest friends.
For over 400 years, Thai-Dutch relations have flourished — starting with pioneering commercial links. Today, those commercial links remain an important aspect of our current relations.
Indeed, many Dutch companies are already household names in Thailand — Unilever, Philips, Shell and Heineken — to name but a few. Thais also know about the marvellous sceneries of colourful tulips, windmills and green fields with cattle. And, of course, The Hague is the seat of the famous International Court of Justice.
But beyond these, you are one of Thailand’s most important trading partner and a leading European investor in our country. You have a lot of expertise and advanced technologies. Agro- and dairy industries, shipbuilding and logistics, and renewable energy are just some of what we see.
In short, there is much room for further cooperation. And I can assure you that with our close and cordial relations, we already have a firm foundation to build upon and move forward together.
This morning in Amsterdam, I met my counterpart, His Excellency Mr. Maxime Verhagen, Minister of Foreign Affairs. We had a very fruitful discussion. We reaffirmed our shared commitment to advancing the Thai-Dutch partnership.
We also agreed to work on my proposal that our two countries conclude a Joint Action Plan. The idea is to have a comprehensive roadmap or work plan with set targets for bilateral cooperation in various areas ranging from trade and investment, business activities, tourism and education, to logistics, shipbuilding and renewable energy.
We also discussed the possibility of resuming a direct flight by Thai International Airways between Bangkok and Amsterdam. We shared the view that this would be of mutual benefits in terms of increasing business and people-to-people contacts. So, I will look into this matter when I return to Thailand.
Also this morning, I addressed the Fourth ASEM Interfaith Dialogue, which Thailand is co-hosting with the Netherlands. This forum is one among many regional and international initiatives that our two countries have been working together.
To put it simply, between our two Governments, things are just great, and the prospects for closer Thai-Dutch cooperation are bright. All these make it conducive — in fact, very conducive — for more business interactions between us.
That is why, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very keen to meet with you, our key business partners, to give you two important messages:
-- First, I wish to reassure you that Thailand is back on track.
- We are back as a democracy with a democratically elected government which adheres to democratic ideals and the rule of law.
- We are back as an open economy committed to free trade and continued market liberalization.
The present Government has every intention of doing its job well and transparently. We will work hard to promote our people’s well-being, and to enhance the sustainable growth and competitiveness of the Thai economy.
Like other democratic societies, Thailand has seen divergent views. You may have heard about street protests in Bangkok. Such political differences however will be addressed through democratic means and within the bound of the law. They will neither affect the Government’s stability nor the country’s economic dynamism.
-- My second message is that we want to welcome you, our friends, to be our partner and do business together.
We want you to have confidence in the strength of the Thai economy.
We want you to join us to make the most out of the vast opportunities for closer and mutually beneficial partnership between Thailand and the Netherlands.
Here, let me stress a few important points.
First and foremost, the Thai economy is robust.
This year, our economy expects a growth of 4.5-5.5% with low inflation rate at about 4% and strong international reserves of about 100 billion US dollars. And thanks to our solid fundamentals, we should be able to weather the current challenges of rising commodity prices and credit crunch.
The Government has implemented measures to stimulate the domestic economy, including tax incentives to boost domestic consumption. We are investing in mega-projects to upgrade our infrastructure. These include the mass transit system in Bangkok and its vicinity with plans to build 9 subway lines, the high-speed trains and the double-track rail projects, which will link our rail system with southern China in the North and Dawei Deep Sea Port in the West. We are also in process of studying the Land Bridge project to connect the Andaman Sea and Indian Ocean with the Gulf of Thailand.
We welcome our European friends, including you from the Netherlands, to take part in these investments and ventures.
Second, Thailand is competitive.
Global competitiveness indexes published by the World Economic Forum and the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) rank Thailand 7th and 3rd among the most competitive countries in Asia and ASEAN, respectively.
We are determined to move up on these lists.
We have therefore prioritized investments not only on infrastructure and logistics to reduce transportation costs, but also on the attainment of a knowledge-based economy. This means greater emphasis on science and technology, capacity building, human resources development and value creation.
At the same time, Thailand is making every effort to meet, if not to exceed, international standards on product quality and safety.
We are working closely with partners, including the European Union, to achieve the required standards of products and services, taking into account environmental concerns and corporate social responsibility. This has been a key challenge for Thailand over the years, and we are firmly committed to doing better.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thailand is business- and investment-friendly. That is the third point I wish to underline.
Currently, UNCTAD’s “World Investment Prospect Survey 2007-2009” released last October ranked Thailand 12th among the world’s most attractive locations for foreign direct investment and 4th in Asia. The World Bank also ranked us as the world’s 15th easiest country to do business with, and 4th in Asia.
While we Buddhists believe that life’s only certainty is uncertainty, our Government’s policy is extremely crystal clear. We will continue to enhance the business and investment climate in Thailand. To this end, the Government is working to put in place regulations and procedures to make business transactions more fair and transparent.
As the first step to regain investor confidence, our Government lifted the 30% reserve requirement on short-term capital inflows.
The proposed amendment of the Foreign Business Act is being reviewed. If any changes are to be made, they will be done to make our investment regime more open and fair for both domestic and foreign businesses alike — not more restrictive. And the Thai Government is committed to our international obligations and — I must add —the protection of intellectual property rights.
At the same time, we also recognize that business interaction is not one-way. Hence, we encourage Thais to do business abroad.
To this end, my Ministry — the Ministry of Foreign Affairs — has launched virtual Business Information Centres at some of our Embassies abroad. The aim is to disseminate accurate and complete up-to-date information, including rules and regulations, needed to make business decisions and undertake business operations.
Already in Europe, the Royal Thai Embassy in Brussels has run the website “thaieurope.net”, which provides useful information on EU regulations and business opportunities for Thai private sector. And this will continue to be improved and expanded.
Finally, Thailand is part of a very dynamic and increasingly integrated region. We are part of Asia’s economic rise.
Southeast Asia is moving towards becoming an ASEAN Economic Community. The goal has been set and will be kept. And Thailand hopes to contribute towards that end, particularly during our Chairmanship of ASEAN that starts from this July till December 2009. So that by 2015, the combined market of 567 million will be one single market and production base.
Ten countries, one economy — connected by networks of road, rail, air and sea links.
ASEAN is also becoming more integrated with larger markets of 1.4 billion in China and 1.1 billion in India, as well as with Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Through free trade agreements with these six countries and also similar agreements with the European Union and the United States, I must say the possibilities are practically limitless.
Closer to home, Thailand is also promoting development and regional linkages among countries of the Greater Mekong Sub-region, or GMS.
We plan to develop infrastructure such as roads and telecommunication linkages and logistics. These will link us with Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and southern China, through what we call Economic Corridors.
Thailand is thus well placed to serve as your gateway into the rest of the Mekong sub-region, Southeast Asia and beyond.
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Despite the Netherlands’ imminent presence in Thailand as one of our largest foreign investors, we hope you will continue to expand your business interests further.
Our two Governments want to increase bilateral trade well beyond the current value of 2.9 billion euros. For Thailand, we hope to see your investment in our country increase from last year’s registered value of 182 million euros. We also hope to see more Dutch tourists visiting Thailand — more than the 180,000 who came last year, particularly, as we designate 2008-2009 as Thailand’s Tourism Years.
But we cannot achieve all these without you.
I therefore invite all of you to visit Thailand to explore first-hand new investment opportunities there.
Since the beginning of this year, we have received a number of overseas business delegations from America, Europe and the Middle East. More are scheduled to come during the course of this year. We hope you will be among them.
The rise of Asia and Thailand affords the Dutch and European businesses excellent opportunities — to trade, to invest and to build partnerships.
The trade winds are blowing strong. They used to bring Dutch traders eastwards in search of spice. I hope that all that I have said have spiced up your interest — that you will let the trade winds bring you in search of business and investment opportunities in Thailand and Southeast Asia as a whole.
So, I urge you — seize the opportunity. Go with the winds.
Thank you very much.
Prime Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Press Division, Department of Information Tel.(02) 643-5170
Fax. (02) 643-5169 E-mail : div0704@mfa.go.th End.
-PM-
Mr. Marius Johan Varekamp, President of The Hague Chamber of Commerce,
Mr. Jan de Kam, President of the Netherlands-Thailand Chamber of Commerce,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you for your kind words of welcome and for your generous hospitality.
Let me also express my sincere appreciation to the Netherlands-Thailand Chamber of Commerce for organizing this gathering of so many people who have contributed to the strengthening of business connections between our two countries, and hence overall Thai-Dutch relations.
Thank you for your role. Thank you for being friends of Thailand.
I look forward to listening to your perspectives and exchanging views with you later after my remarks.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Netherlands is one of Thailand’s oldest friends.
For over 400 years, Thai-Dutch relations have flourished — starting with pioneering commercial links. Today, those commercial links remain an important aspect of our current relations.
Indeed, many Dutch companies are already household names in Thailand — Unilever, Philips, Shell and Heineken — to name but a few. Thais also know about the marvellous sceneries of colourful tulips, windmills and green fields with cattle. And, of course, The Hague is the seat of the famous International Court of Justice.
But beyond these, you are one of Thailand’s most important trading partner and a leading European investor in our country. You have a lot of expertise and advanced technologies. Agro- and dairy industries, shipbuilding and logistics, and renewable energy are just some of what we see.
In short, there is much room for further cooperation. And I can assure you that with our close and cordial relations, we already have a firm foundation to build upon and move forward together.
This morning in Amsterdam, I met my counterpart, His Excellency Mr. Maxime Verhagen, Minister of Foreign Affairs. We had a very fruitful discussion. We reaffirmed our shared commitment to advancing the Thai-Dutch partnership.
We also agreed to work on my proposal that our two countries conclude a Joint Action Plan. The idea is to have a comprehensive roadmap or work plan with set targets for bilateral cooperation in various areas ranging from trade and investment, business activities, tourism and education, to logistics, shipbuilding and renewable energy.
We also discussed the possibility of resuming a direct flight by Thai International Airways between Bangkok and Amsterdam. We shared the view that this would be of mutual benefits in terms of increasing business and people-to-people contacts. So, I will look into this matter when I return to Thailand.
Also this morning, I addressed the Fourth ASEM Interfaith Dialogue, which Thailand is co-hosting with the Netherlands. This forum is one among many regional and international initiatives that our two countries have been working together.
To put it simply, between our two Governments, things are just great, and the prospects for closer Thai-Dutch cooperation are bright. All these make it conducive — in fact, very conducive — for more business interactions between us.
That is why, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very keen to meet with you, our key business partners, to give you two important messages:
-- First, I wish to reassure you that Thailand is back on track.
- We are back as a democracy with a democratically elected government which adheres to democratic ideals and the rule of law.
- We are back as an open economy committed to free trade and continued market liberalization.
The present Government has every intention of doing its job well and transparently. We will work hard to promote our people’s well-being, and to enhance the sustainable growth and competitiveness of the Thai economy.
Like other democratic societies, Thailand has seen divergent views. You may have heard about street protests in Bangkok. Such political differences however will be addressed through democratic means and within the bound of the law. They will neither affect the Government’s stability nor the country’s economic dynamism.
-- My second message is that we want to welcome you, our friends, to be our partner and do business together.
We want you to have confidence in the strength of the Thai economy.
We want you to join us to make the most out of the vast opportunities for closer and mutually beneficial partnership between Thailand and the Netherlands.
Here, let me stress a few important points.
First and foremost, the Thai economy is robust.
This year, our economy expects a growth of 4.5-5.5% with low inflation rate at about 4% and strong international reserves of about 100 billion US dollars. And thanks to our solid fundamentals, we should be able to weather the current challenges of rising commodity prices and credit crunch.
The Government has implemented measures to stimulate the domestic economy, including tax incentives to boost domestic consumption. We are investing in mega-projects to upgrade our infrastructure. These include the mass transit system in Bangkok and its vicinity with plans to build 9 subway lines, the high-speed trains and the double-track rail projects, which will link our rail system with southern China in the North and Dawei Deep Sea Port in the West. We are also in process of studying the Land Bridge project to connect the Andaman Sea and Indian Ocean with the Gulf of Thailand.
We welcome our European friends, including you from the Netherlands, to take part in these investments and ventures.
Second, Thailand is competitive.
Global competitiveness indexes published by the World Economic Forum and the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) rank Thailand 7th and 3rd among the most competitive countries in Asia and ASEAN, respectively.
We are determined to move up on these lists.
We have therefore prioritized investments not only on infrastructure and logistics to reduce transportation costs, but also on the attainment of a knowledge-based economy. This means greater emphasis on science and technology, capacity building, human resources development and value creation.
At the same time, Thailand is making every effort to meet, if not to exceed, international standards on product quality and safety.
We are working closely with partners, including the European Union, to achieve the required standards of products and services, taking into account environmental concerns and corporate social responsibility. This has been a key challenge for Thailand over the years, and we are firmly committed to doing better.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thailand is business- and investment-friendly. That is the third point I wish to underline.
Currently, UNCTAD’s “World Investment Prospect Survey 2007-2009” released last October ranked Thailand 12th among the world’s most attractive locations for foreign direct investment and 4th in Asia. The World Bank also ranked us as the world’s 15th easiest country to do business with, and 4th in Asia.
While we Buddhists believe that life’s only certainty is uncertainty, our Government’s policy is extremely crystal clear. We will continue to enhance the business and investment climate in Thailand. To this end, the Government is working to put in place regulations and procedures to make business transactions more fair and transparent.
As the first step to regain investor confidence, our Government lifted the 30% reserve requirement on short-term capital inflows.
The proposed amendment of the Foreign Business Act is being reviewed. If any changes are to be made, they will be done to make our investment regime more open and fair for both domestic and foreign businesses alike — not more restrictive. And the Thai Government is committed to our international obligations and — I must add —the protection of intellectual property rights.
At the same time, we also recognize that business interaction is not one-way. Hence, we encourage Thais to do business abroad.
To this end, my Ministry — the Ministry of Foreign Affairs — has launched virtual Business Information Centres at some of our Embassies abroad. The aim is to disseminate accurate and complete up-to-date information, including rules and regulations, needed to make business decisions and undertake business operations.
Already in Europe, the Royal Thai Embassy in Brussels has run the website “thaieurope.net”, which provides useful information on EU regulations and business opportunities for Thai private sector. And this will continue to be improved and expanded.
Finally, Thailand is part of a very dynamic and increasingly integrated region. We are part of Asia’s economic rise.
Southeast Asia is moving towards becoming an ASEAN Economic Community. The goal has been set and will be kept. And Thailand hopes to contribute towards that end, particularly during our Chairmanship of ASEAN that starts from this July till December 2009. So that by 2015, the combined market of 567 million will be one single market and production base.
Ten countries, one economy — connected by networks of road, rail, air and sea links.
ASEAN is also becoming more integrated with larger markets of 1.4 billion in China and 1.1 billion in India, as well as with Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Through free trade agreements with these six countries and also similar agreements with the European Union and the United States, I must say the possibilities are practically limitless.
Closer to home, Thailand is also promoting development and regional linkages among countries of the Greater Mekong Sub-region, or GMS.
We plan to develop infrastructure such as roads and telecommunication linkages and logistics. These will link us with Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and southern China, through what we call Economic Corridors.
Thailand is thus well placed to serve as your gateway into the rest of the Mekong sub-region, Southeast Asia and beyond.
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Despite the Netherlands’ imminent presence in Thailand as one of our largest foreign investors, we hope you will continue to expand your business interests further.
Our two Governments want to increase bilateral trade well beyond the current value of 2.9 billion euros. For Thailand, we hope to see your investment in our country increase from last year’s registered value of 182 million euros. We also hope to see more Dutch tourists visiting Thailand — more than the 180,000 who came last year, particularly, as we designate 2008-2009 as Thailand’s Tourism Years.
But we cannot achieve all these without you.
I therefore invite all of you to visit Thailand to explore first-hand new investment opportunities there.
Since the beginning of this year, we have received a number of overseas business delegations from America, Europe and the Middle East. More are scheduled to come during the course of this year. We hope you will be among them.
The rise of Asia and Thailand affords the Dutch and European businesses excellent opportunities — to trade, to invest and to build partnerships.
The trade winds are blowing strong. They used to bring Dutch traders eastwards in search of spice. I hope that all that I have said have spiced up your interest — that you will let the trade winds bring you in search of business and investment opportunities in Thailand and Southeast Asia as a whole.
So, I urge you — seize the opportunity. Go with the winds.
Thank you very much.
Prime Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Press Division, Department of Information Tel.(02) 643-5170
Fax. (02) 643-5169 E-mail : div0704@mfa.go.th End.
-PM-