Thailand will not change its policy on friendly relations with
China after the recent government change, said an official with
Thai Embassy in China on Tuesday.
"I want to say that the policy remains unchanged," said Buskorn
Prugsapongse, minister counselor of Thai embassy, at a seminar on
China-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) free trade
area.
Thailand and China established diplomatic relations 31 years
ago, and since then the friendly relations between the two
countries and peoples have never changed, Buskorn said.
"The political and economic environment in Thailand remains the
same as before," said Buskorn, in response to worries about the
economic situation in Thailand, and she urged Chinese enterprises
to invest in the country.
"I want to emphasize that Thailand has the potential to become
an important destination for Chinese investment with a strategic
location as a gateway to Southeast Asia and the Greater Mekong
Sub-region," Buskorn added.
On China-ASEAN free trade area (CAFTA), Buskorn said the two
sides are negotiating liberalization in investment and service
trade.
"If successfully concluded, the CAFTA will bring about many
changes and business opportunities for ASEAN and China, and the
free flow of goods between China and ASEAN through Thailand will
greatly benefit both countries," Buskorn said.
After signing the "Agreement on Trade in Goods" in 2005, China
and ASEAN started to remove trade barriers by launching a tariff
reduction plan covering 7,000 categories of products.
According to the agreement, all those products will enjoy
zero-tariff rating by 2010 when the CAFTA is established.
(Xinhua News Agency October 11, 2006)
