On November 4, 2020, Mr. Thaworn Senneam, Deputy Minister of Transport, as the representative of the Minister for the Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program (GMS) of 6 countries, led the Thai delegation to participate in the 24th GMS Ministerial Conference via videoconference. The main theme was “Paving the Way for Greater Integration, Reduced Inequalities, and Sustainable and Prosperous GMS.” The conference was co-hosted by the Ministry of Finance of the People’s Republic of China and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Mr. Wanchat Suwankitti, Advisor on Policy and Planning of the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), in his capacity as the Chairman of the 11th GMS Economic Corridor Forum, reported on the success of the said meeting on this occasion as well.
The conference was attended by GMS Ministers from 6 countries, including Mr. Sok Chenda Sophea, Minister attached to the Prime Minister and Secretary-General of the Council for the Development of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cambodia; Dr. Kikeo Chanthaboury, Vice Minister of Planning and Investment, Lao People’s Democratic Republic; Mr. Bharat Singh, Deputy Minister of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations, Republic of the Union of Myanmar; Mr. Thaworn Senneam, Deputy Minister of Transport, Thailand; Mr. Tran Quoc Phuong, Vice Minister of Planning and Investment, Socialist Republic of Vietnam; with Ms. Zou Jiayi, Vice Minister of Finance, People’s Republic of China, as the conference chair, along with
On this occasion, Deputy Minister Thaworn emphasized Thailand’s intention to develop infrastructure to connect with neighboring countries. Last week, Thailand signed a contract for rail system, electrical system, and mechanical work, as well as procurement of train sets and personnel training for the high-speed rail project under the cooperation between the Thai and Chinese governments, worth 50,633 million baht, to elevate it as a strategic route enhancing Thailand’s competitiveness along the North-South Economic Corridor (NSEC).
Furthermore, to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Deputy Minister Thaworn urged the government to recognize the importance of facilitating cross-border economic activities under the GMS Cross-Border Transport Facilitation Agreement (CBTA). This includes expediting the improvement of operational regulations at border checkpoints and logistics to achieve a unified and safe standard, enhancing the competitiveness of entrepreneurs, and paving the way for their integration into the global value chain.
On this occasion, the GMS Ministers jointly endorsed: 1) the draft Joint Ministerial Statement of the 24th GMS Ministerial Conference, 2) the 3rd Progress Report and Update of the Regional Investment Framework 2022 (RIF 2022), and 3) guidelines for establishing a GMS Labor Migration Task Force. Deputy Minister Thaworn viewed that it is necessary to jointly find practical methods for hiring, moving, and repatriating workers that are safe for health and in line with human rights principles. This is a collaborative effort to prevent and mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and reduce social problems due to illegal labor migration. He requested NESDC to act as an intermediary in establishing the Thai working group, with a representative at the Director-General or Deputy Director-General level from the Ministry of Labor as the head of the working group.
In addition, the GMS Ministers jointly approved in principle two draft documents to be presented at the 7th GMS Summit in March 2021: 1) the draft New GMS Strategic Framework 2030, which has compiled action plans and measures to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and is aligned with the issues under Thailand’s 20-year National Strategy, and 2) the draft COVID-19 Recovery and Response Plan, which is consistent with the specific master plan under the National Strategy resulting from the COVID-19 situation for 2021-2022. They support the GMS Health Cooperation Sector to take the lead in overseeing and monitoring vaccine acquisition for fair and efficient distribution of vaccines in the GMS.
Mr. Wanchat Suwankitti, Advisor on Policy and Planning, as the head of the Thai senior officials’ delegation and Chairman of the 11th GMS Economic Corridor Forum, reported on the success of the meeting, which focused on integrating driving factors for economic corridor development, including: 1) development of special economic zones to create employment, enhance regional connectivity, and international production networks, 2) presenting the economic benefits and opportunities of GMS under the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement and RCEP, and 3) economic opportunities from facilitating cross-border economic activities under the CBTA in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 24th GMS Ministerial Conference is a good opportunity for Thailand to build confidence among foreign investors to invest in potential sectors connecting production chains with neighboring countries, especially in special economic development zones and border special economic zones between Thailand and neighboring countries. This is to increase economic activities including trade, investment, services, and tourism along the economic corridor areas, both domestically and in neighboring countries. It also presents Thailand’s role as a logistics hub, development center, and development partner in the region, ready to provide financial and technical assistance, as well as identifying social issues and limitations and jointly solving various problems arising from cross-border economic development and industrial production.
The 25th GMS Ministerial Conference is scheduled to be held in 2022, with the Lao People’s Democratic Republic hosting the meeting.
Those interested in the Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program (GMS)
can find more information at www.nesdc.go.th and www.greatermekong.org
Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC)