‘Pichai’ believes that Thailand has a good opportunity to be neutral with both China and America, confident that the economy will recover soon, asks not to view China as a villain and attack the import of goods from China too much, should negotiate with mutual respect with China.
Mr. Pichai Naripthaphan, Minister of Commerce, explained the government’s policy, saying that the new government is lucky because the world is currently facing a trade war. No matter who wins the US presidential election, a trade war will definitely happen. However, it is an opportunity for Thailand because both the US and China view Thailand as a friend. Currently, investment is starting to flow into Thailand. Last year, there was an investment in printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing worth 150 billion baht. It is believed that within a few years, there will be an investment in PCBs worth hundreds of billions to trillions of baht, which will result in various electrical circuit boards being produced in Thailand.
Mr. Pichai sa
id that the important thing that investors are interested in investing in Thailand is because we have sufficient and stable energy, both electricity and water. He believes that the economy will recover soon and become a hub connecting to other superpowers so that they can use Thailand.
“We want to see China love us, we want to see America love us. As a mediator, we will be able to develop the country. Investment, trade, etc. will flow to us. If Thailand is loved by everyone, Thailand will benefit from developing the country now,” said Mr. Pichai.
Mr. Pichai stated that he did not want to see too much attack on Chinese imports. He is close to the Chinese embassy and told them not to make China a villain. As a superpower, he wanted Thai people to feel good about China, so he had to think about what methods to use.
“If one day China suddenly says they won’t buy durian, something happens, we will lose hundreds of billions. Or if they say they won’t send tourists to Thailand, they forbid us from traveling, we w
ill lose hundreds of billions. I want to say that this is a sensitive issue,” said Mr. Pichai.
Mr. Pichai said that the Ministry of Commerce has called 28 agencies to discuss and find a solution, which has concluded that the best way is to make imported products meet international standards and be safe for the public. This is to set standards that apply to all countries, not just one country. There will be a special center to inspect whether the quality of products meets the standards and prevent dumping. In addition, the government will move forward with expanding the negotiations for a free trade area and negotiate with India to increase exports to India.
‘What we do should have standards and be negotiated with them well. I have had several meetings with China. There will probably be negotiations to find ways to cooperate. It will probably be more of a mutual assistance between Thailand and China. Maintain goodwill and see if the amount is too much, reduce it to maintain our country’s industries or busine
sses,’ said Mr. Pichai.
Mr. Pichai mentioned about agricultural products that the Ministry of Commerce will take proactive action by calculating and estimating in advance each month what products will be produced and what steps will be taken to increase the price of agricultural products as desired. As a result, the prices of major products such as rice, cassava and rubber will increase, such as jasmine rice, the highest price in 5 years, and glutinous rice, the highest price in 20 years, etc. The prices of secondary products such as pineapple, garlic, shallots and various fruits are also higher than every year.
Source: Thai News Agency