PM briefs big global names on Land Bridge and expects some to follow up with visits to Thailand
PUBLISHED : 19 Jan 2024 at 20:21
The government is looking forward to more trade negotiations and foreign investment after joining the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Friday.
Speaking on his return home from the three-day summit, Mr Srettha said the results of his meetings were successful, with many opportunities expanded upon.
In a post on his X account, he said the summit offers an important framework for world economic cooperation, and that he had opportunities to meet global leaders and many investors.
Mr Srettha said he held discussions with over 17 companies and organisations, which he divided into three groups.
The first includes those interested in investing in the 1-trillion-baht Land Bridge megaproject, which will develop a logistics network connecting Ranong with Chumphon in the southern part of Thailand.
One of the executives he met with was Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, chairman and chief executive of Dubai Ports World (DP World), which handles about 10% of the world’s container traffic through its ports and logistics operations in more than 40 countries.
Mr Srettha said the CEO was showed interest in the megaproject as DP World manages Laem Chabang Port in Chon Buri. Sultan Ahmed promised to send company representatives to visit Thailand to discuss the matter and survey locations.
Mr Srettha also met with Gautam Adani, chairman of Adani Group, an Indian conglomerate that manages many airports in India. The Indian billionaire also expressed an interest in the megaproject and said company representatives would fly to Thailand for in-person talks.
The second group was banking, IT and data centres. Mr Srettha met executives of Standard Chartered and Bank of America, seeking support for roadshows to promote the megaproject.
The Swedish conglomerate Saab and the Norwegian telecom group Telenor are ready to expand their investment in Thailand, the premier said, while Microsoft and Google are ready to set up data centres.
The third group included giant businesses such as Nestle, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and Bosch. He said these firms were ready to make Thailand a regional hub and expand their production bases and investments.
“Most importantly, Thailand is returning to the world stage,” Mr Srettha said. “We aim to be the centre of product distribution to connect the world and the Asian region seamlessly.”