Remarks

by H.E. General Dr. Tanasak Patimapragorn

Deputy Prime Minister

and Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand

at the Opening Ceremony of the 12th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO)

and the 12th China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (CABIS)

Nanning, People's Republic of China

18 September 2015

Your Excellency Mr. Zhang Gaoli, Vice Premier of the State Council of China,

Your Excellency Mr. Peng Qinghua, Secretary of CPC Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region,

Your Excellencies Heads of Delegation of the ASEAN Member States, Distinguished Delegates,

It is an honour and privilege for me to lead the Thai delegation to the 12th CAEXPO and the 12th CABIS this year.

My Prime Minister, General Prayuth Chan-o-cha, wanted very much to attend. But due to the domestic situation that requires his presence in Thailand, he has asked me to represent him as his Special Envoy and to convey to all of you his warmest greetings and best wishes.

Thailand is extremely proud to be the Country of Honour at this 12th CAEXPO, having participated every year since its inception.

This year is also very special in other ways. It also marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Thailand. The participation by Thailand at this 12th CAEXPO is therefore particularly large, with 146 booths from 120 Thai companies and seven Thai agencies.

The City of Charm of this year's Expo is Chonburi Province. Chonburi is famous for its many tourist attractions such as Pattaya, as well as for its industrial dynamism, as part of Thailand’s vibrant Eastern Seaboard. I invite you all to visit Chonburi on your next trip to Thailand. Until then, please visit the Chonburi booth and the Thai Pavilion located in Hall 2.

Excellencies,

This year is also of special importance for ASEAN as a whole. At the end of 2015, ASEAN will become one Community, a single market and production base. This means new investment opportunities that can take full advantage of the region's position as the world's leading agricultural producer and food bank.

China, in particular, is well placed to make the most of this community. Through the years, ASEAN-China economic cooperation has advanced steadily.

ASEAN and China are now looking to expand two-way trade to 500 billion US dollars by the end of this year and one trillion US dollars by 2020. Mechanisms such as the forthcoming upgraded ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement and the RCEP will play an important part in achieving these lofty but realistic goals.

Also, Thailand firmly believes China's initiative on cooperation to expand industrial production capacity with ASEAN can yield benefits for both sides.

This is also the year when Thailand completed its term as country coordinator for ASEAN-China dialogue relations. We highly appreciate the excellent cooperation from China over the past three years. Although we handed over the duties to Singapore in early August this year, Thailand will continue to play a proactive role to take ASEAN-China relations to a higher plane.

Excellencies,

As the friendship between ASEAN and China becomes ever closer, strengthening regional connectivity will be crucial.

Thailand believes that the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road" under the "One Belt One Road" would benefit both ASEAN and China. Such projects as the R3A route that connects ASEAN with the southern China, and the construction of high-speed rail systems across the region will serve as important links in the region's transport network.

Thailand therefore fully supports various Chinese financing initiatives, particularly the Silk Road Fund, the China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation Fund, and the AIIB, of which Thailand and other ASEAN Member States are founding members.

We look forward to the effective use of these funds to meet the connectivity needs of the region.

These may include the building of connections between China and ASEAN and between ASEAN and other regions along the Silk Road, as well as maritime economic and technical partnerships. This will pave the way for ocean cruises and coastal tourism, which could add further to the tourism exchanges between ASEAN and China.

Your Excellencies,

Let me conclude by reaffirming that Thailand is ready to play a constructive role in promoting and strengthening the already close ties of friendship and cooperation between ASEAN and China.

Thailand is always ready to serve as a "bridge builder" to promote regional connectivity in all aspects to further promote mutual goodwill and understanding.

Let us take this opportunity to bring the relationship between ASEAN and China to ever greater heights.

I wish to convey my overwhelmed congratulations to you in advance for the success of the event.

Thank you.