On Thursday, October 28, 2021, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister, attended the 13th IMT-GT Summit via video conference. Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob, Prime Minister of Malaysia, chaired the meeting, along with Mr. Joko Widodo, President of the Republic of Indonesia, Mr. Ahmed M. Saeed, Vice-President of the Asian Development Bank, Dato Lim Jock Hoi, Secretary-General of ASEAN, and ministers and senior officials from IMT-GT member countries. Thailand was represented by Mr. Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, Minister of Finance, and Mr. Danucha Pichayanan, Secretary-General of the National Economic and Social Development Council.
The leaders of the three IMT-GT countries acknowledged the progress report of the IMT-GT program as follows:
1. Key programs/projects that have made progress under the Five-Year Implementation Plan 2017-2021 include: (1) 48 physical connectivity construction projects with a total value of over US$39 billion (approximately 1.24 trillion baht). Thai projects that have been completed include the new Sadao Customs checkpoint, Betong Airport, and Rubber City in Songkhla province. (2) 33 out of 93 projects in 7 cooperation areas have been completed, such as the conceptual tourism project, the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the three countries’ Geoparks, the Halal standards gap study project, the Young Farmer project, and the development of a Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine (CIQ) cooperation framework.
2. Progress in the preparation of the Five-Year Implementation Plan 2022-2026 under Vision 2036, which will focus on development along economic corridors, emphasizing private sector-driven growth, balanced growth, reducing inequality, and developing more efficient operational mechanisms. The meeting also acknowledged the preparation for implementing the Sustainable Urban Development Framework (SUDF) Action Plan of the IMT-GT program, which focuses on investments in energy efficiency, reducing pollution from the transport sector, and utilizing while conserving biodiversity, with a total investment value of US$5.4 billion (approximately 172 billion baht).
The Thai Prime Minister commented that the investment plan under the Sustainable Urban Development Framework (SUDF) Action Plan of the IMT-GT program aligns with Thailand’s BCG (Bio-Circular-Green) economic model, which is currently being promoted. He emphasized the need to accelerate funding from both domestic sources and other sources such as ASEAN funds and the Asian Development Bank, as exemplified by Thailand’s Ministry of Finance issuing sustainability bonds to raise funds for key projects.
On this occasion, the Thai Prime Minister also provided three recommendations to transform the IMT-GT’s key industries : (1) Accelerate the development and extension of projects to support becoming a single tourism destination, (2) Focus on producing high-value agricultural and processed agricultural products that align with the area’s potential and market demand, such as rubber and processed rubber products, and (3) Develop an efficient Halal certification system that is globally recognized while increasing competitiveness in the Halal industry. He also proposed that the IMT-GT program develop a seamless transportation network , improve supportive regulations, consider environmental sustainability, and enhance workforce potential, which are crucial factors in sub-regional development.
Furthermore, he presented the success of the “Phuket Sandbox” project, which generated 2.33 billion baht in economic circulation, and announced Thailand’s readiness to welcome tourists from low-risk countries without quarantine starting November 1 , 2021. He also proposed that the leaders of Malaysia and Indonesia collaborate in exchanging and learning from experiences in implementing projects similar to the Phuket Sandbox, as well as jointly establishing new tourism standards in the post-COVID-19 era with stringent health and safety measures. Malaysia has already begun opening areas for foreign tourists in Langkawi, while Indonesia has started trials in Riau Islands province.
At the end of the meeting, the leaders of the three countries jointly endorsed the Joint Statement of the 13th IMT-GT Summit, emphasizing the importance of sub-regional cooperation to support each country’s efforts in mitigating the impact of COVID-19 and accelerating economic recovery to overcome the crisis. They welcomed the progress and success of the seven cooperation areas and the direction for future operations, as well as the progress in drafting the Five-Year Implementation Plan 2022-2026 and cooperation with IMT-GT development partners.
In 2022, the Thai government will chair the 14th IMT-GT Leaders’ Meeting and host the 28th Ministerial Meeting and other related meetings under the IMT-GT program.
Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council
October 28, 2021
