HANOI: Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and the Team Thailand delegation arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Monday (June 8), beginning the first mission of his official visit to Vietnam with a meeting with representatives of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vietnam (ThaiCham).
Also attending were representatives of Thai private-sector firms doing business and investing in Vietnam, as the prime minister heard comments and recommendations and exchanged views on opportunities and challenges in doing business in Vietnam.
Government Spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek said the private-sector participants in the talks came from a range of key industries, including agriculture and food, retail, finance, energy, industrial estates, construction materials and manufacturing, as well as consumer goods.
All are business groups that play an important role in economic ties between Thailand and Vietnam and have the potential to expand trade and investment further in future.
More than 30 private-sector representatives took part in the talks.
Emphasis on growing together
The prime minister said he was pleased to meet representatives of Thai businesses in Vietnam, adding that this visit was his first official visit to Vietnam as prime minister.
It came only a few days after the official visit to Thailand by To Lam, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, which was also his first visit after taking office.
This reflected the close ties between Thailand and Vietnam and signalled that both countries, as key regional economies, were ready to combine their potential to create shared growth in the future.
The prime minister stressed the concept of growing together, saying growth in both countries had a positive effect on each other.
Vietnam plays an important role in global manufacturing supply chains, while Thailand has strengths in industry, services, logistics and regional connectivity.
The two countries, therefore, have the potential to be “strategic partners” in driving Asean’s economic future, a key reason why the Thai government attaches great importance to economic relations with Vietnam.
Prime Minister’s schedule to meet Vietnam’s leaders
During this visit to Vietnam, the prime minister is scheduled to hold talks with Vietnam’s senior leaders, including the president, prime minister and chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam.
The discussions will cover issues reflected by the private sector and will focus on further promoting closer supply-chain links between the two countries.
They will also cover the creation of an environment and regulations conducive to trade and investment (Ease of Doing Business), as well as efforts to increase investment between the private sectors of the two countries in order to create long-term shared growth.
Thailand and Vietnam push for a comprehensive partnership
On this occasion, Sanan Angubolkul, Senior Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Trade of Thailand and President of the Thailand-Vietnam Friendship Association, said the prime minister had led a delegation including cabinet ministers, senior economic officials and security officials, the largest such delegation ever to travel to Vietnam.
He said the meeting with Thai private-sector representatives investing in Vietnam represented the “Team Thailand Plus” model, with the public and private sectors working hand in hand, and showed a clear, concrete commitment to upgrading the comprehensive economic partnership between Thailand and Vietnam.
Thai private-sector representatives, meanwhile, exchanged views on doing business in Vietnam, including Vietnam’s strengths and good practices in promoting trade and attracting foreign investment that Thailand could adapt.
Although challenges remain in trade and investment, there are still opportunities for Thailand to take part and build further cooperation with Vietnam.
Closing the discussions, the prime minister said that listening to feedback from the private sector provided important information that would help the government formulate targeted policies and support measures, in line with the changing business environment, and enhance the competitiveness of Thai entrepreneurs overseas.
“The government will take the comments and recommendations from all of you to discuss with the relevant agencies.
This will help the Thai government respond to the needs of Thai businesses as effectively as possible,” the prime minister said.
Two MOUs signed
Afterwards, the prime minister witnessed a ceremony to exchange two memorandums of understanding (MOUs) between the Thai and Vietnamese private sectors, as follows:
A memorandum of understanding between AMATA Group and FPT Corporation on cooperation in developing Smart Industrial Estate standards.
A memorandum of understanding between CP Group and FPT Corporation on cooperation in the application of artificial intelligence (AI). - The Nation/ANN
