On 29 July 2010, Mr. Marc Mealy, Vice President of the US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC), led a delegation of 23 leading American companies to pay a courtesy call on Mr. Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs, on the occasion of the Council annual visit to Thailand, at the Foreign Ministry.
Foreign Minister Kasit expressed his appreciation to the USABC for its profound interest in enhancing business cooperation with Thailand. Despite the impact from the global financial crisis and the recent political unrest to its economy, Thailand stands ready to strengthen cooperation and coordination with the USABC. Foreign Minister Kasit also reaffirmed the Royal Thai Government’s determination to move forward as an open and democratic society. In this regard, he asked the USABC to assist Thailand in becoming a stronger and more vibrant democratic nation by sharing its best practices with the Kingdom.
The visiting USABC delegation took this opportunity to exchange views with the Thai Foreign Minister on the issues of rule of law, patent, investment-facilitation measures, and regional connectivity. In this connection, Foreign Minister Kasit stated that as a private sector-led economy, Thailand fully adheres to the principles of justice and transparency. He also highlighted the importance of finding the right balance between sense of decency and freedom of expression. Furthermore, the Foreign Minister urged members of the USABC to develop a close working relationship with the Foreign Ministry and tackle the issues concerned together.
The USABC is a major supporting organization for the U.S. business sector. It plays a significant role in promoting trade and commercial relations between the US and ASEAN. Members of the USABC include major U.S. companies which have invested or are doing business in the ASEAN such as Chevron, General Electric, Ford, Google, and Time Warner.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th