PM due to hold talks with Joe Biden Friday
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin will on Friday meet with several world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, as San Francisco hosts the 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit.
Mr Srettha said he would meet Mr Biden at the Apec dinner, and they are expected to discuss a wide range of issues.
He is also scheduled to meet US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.
The premier is also scheduled to meet Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Peruvian President Dina Boluarte for bilateral talks to strengthen cooperation and ties.
On Wednesday, Mr Srettha met Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for bilateral talks.
During their discussion, he gave assurances to Mr Kishida that the Thai government would not abandon Japanese production of vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICE) as the kingdom shifted to electric vehicles (EV).
Mr Kishida spoke of the importance of the automaking industry and promised to develop the auto industry in Thailand further.
According to Mr Srettha, both countries agreed in principle on a visa-free policy for businesspeople to facilitate travel, adding that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would study the details.
He also said he accepted the Japanese premier’s invitation to attend the Asean-Japan summit in Tokyo scheduled for Dec 16-18.
Mr Srettha, who left Thailand for the summit early this week, met executives and representatives from major US corporations, including Tesla, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google, Microsoft and Citigroup.
According to the premier, he discussed the Land Bridge megaproject with representatives from Citigroup, who expressed their support for the scheme.
He said the government plans to host a dinner for Microsoft executives who will visit Thailand early next year.
Thai businesses would also be invited to attend to promote business matching between them and strengthen the country’s digital development.
The prime minister added that he had visited a Boeing exhibition, which showcased an unmanned helicopter that could be commercially available in 7-8 years.
Mr Srettha also delivered a speech at the Apec CEO Summit 2023, where he told business leaders that Thailand was open for investment and highlighted the country’s Land Bridge megaproject.
Japanese ambassador Kazuya Nashida gave assurances that the Japanese public and private sectors were ready to collaborate with the Thai government under Mr Srettha’s leadership, according to Thai trade representative Narumon Pinyosinwat.
Speaking after the meeting with the Japanese ambassador, she said Mr Nashida proposed that Thailand should be a production hub of vehicles of various engines during the transition to the EV industry.
According to the Japanese envoy, Japan has a Green Growth Strategy under which the public and private sectors are interested in investing in various industries, including AI, biotechnology, modern agriculture and clean energy.
Ms Narumon said Japan’s strategy aligns with the Thai government’s plan to promote a green economy and clean energy.
Japan also supports renewable energy and hopes that clean energy will be adopted in the manufacturing sector, she added.