(24/05/2013)
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has proposed that Asia should direct
its investments to build connectivity, both on land and sea, since Asia
is mostly a large land continent covering two oceans, the Indian, and
the Pacific.In her keynote address at the Nikkei Conference on the Future of Asia, held in Tokyo on 24 May 2013, Prime Minister Yingluck cited rail link as the most effective and efficient on land.
From ASEAN on the Southeast Asian mainland, she said, Asia must build links to North and Northeast Asia, and on the opposite end, to South Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East. A modern Silk Road to connect the region with high speed trains, and feeder tracks for cargo and passengers will become the new Asia-Euro land bridge linking the two continents, while opening up new growth areas along the way.
At the same time, she pointed out that Thailand would continue to develop road links, airports, and sea ports. The Dawei deep seaport in Myanmar will create maritime connectivity within the Indian Ocean, and through land links to Laem Chabang port in Thailand, to connecting South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
On the Indian Ocean side, Dawei will link up Southeast Asia with the Middle East and Africa. The port, industrial estate and transport infrastructure will help drive economic growth and development throughout Southeast Asia. Moreover, it will also add value to the production bases in ASEAN of many countries, in particular Japan.
In other words, Prime Minister Yingluck said, Dawei is an investment in the future of Asia. In the long run, it can become a major point for transportation and connectivity to complement other port and industrial estates in Myanmar.
She said that Thailand looks forward to participation from foreign partners for investment and also multilateral institutions, such as the Asian Development Bank, to help consult and assist in this regional project.
The Prime Minister stated that another contribution to the region’s future is Thailand’s 66 billion U.S. dollar in infrastructure development, which includes a high-speed rail link between Thailand, Laos, and China. Thailand plans to link this with infrastructure investment projects of other Asian countries, as well.
She also suggested that Asia promote closer cooperation on win-win issues that will add value to the region as a whole. Such issues include food and energy security. The Prime Minister said that Thailand is restructuring its agriculture production with zonings and post-harvest management to produce higher quality food and at the same time ensure food security, for Thailand, Asia, and the world.
Thailand is also investing in water management system that will provide enough supply for agriculture, industry and household uses. Effective measures to build water and food security, as well as protection against natural disasters, will provide a stronger foundation for growth and social harmony within the Asian region. Complementing this is the issue of energy security which Thailand hopes to achieve through green growth and by relying more on alternative energy. As Asia plans toward the path of sustainable growth, she said, Asia will demand for a large amount of energy.
For Asia, the Prime Minister believed that there is great potential in cooperation between the regions, whereby food could be exchanged for energy between ASEAN countries in Southeast Asia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in the Middle East.
Also, since a rising Asia is outward-looking, Prime Minister Yingluck stressed that cooperation in trade and investment must also be extended to other regions, such as Africa, which is also rising. That is why Thailand is launching a Thai-African Conference to enhance engagement with Africa. The bottom line is that Asia and other regions: Africa, the Americas, and Europe, need to work together to grow together.
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