October 18, 2023, at China National Convention Center (CNCC), Beijing, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Srettha Thavisin delivered a statement at the High-Level Forum under theme “Green Silk Road for Harmony with Nature”. Government Spokesperson Chai Wacharonke disclosed gist of the Prime Minister’s statement as follows:
The Prime Minister commended China for the achievements made under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on occasion of the BRI’s 10th anniversary, and emphasized that all the countries need to connect as the world is facing challenges, from pandemic to economic recession, climate change and loss of biodiversity. These result from the decline of harmony between human and nature.
Thailand is a firm believer in the sustainability agenda. The country believes that a “greener” development is necessary to advance the BRI towards a “High-Quality Belt and Road Cooperation” for “Common Development and Prosperity”, and aims to take lessons from this project and implement it within the nation. The Prime Minister also mentioned that he had requested the Cabinet to design a concrete study and implementation plan for the Land Bridge project, which will connect the Andaman Sea and the Indian Ocean to the Gulf of Thailand and the Pacific Ocean, improving connectivity in the southern Andaman region. This will reduce the commute time going through the Strait of Malacca under the logistic operation idea of “one port, two sides” across a land distance of 90 kilometers in Southern Thailand. The Prime Minister hoped that this will work in harmony with BRI infrastructure and help connect the world.
Thailand has also long promoted sustainable development in the international arena. Since 2016, the country has served as the ASEAN Coordinator on Sustainable Development Cooperation. In this role, Thailand has promoted collaboration not only within ASEAN but also served as a bridge with external partners.
Most recently, the country reached 2 key milestones at the APEC Summit: First, the Bangkok Goals on Bio-Circular-Green Economy were adopted as APEC’s first comprehensive framework to advance the sustainability agenda in a transformative manner. Second, the APEC BCG Awards, initiated by Thailand and financially supported by China, were launched to raise public awareness and inclusivity among member economies.
To realize the vision of a Green Silk Road for Harmony with Nature, the Prime Minister proposed 4 priorities for actions:
First, the Prime Minister proposed implementation of green transition across sectors, and promotion of sustainable production and consumption through all economic activities. New technologies and digital transformation can greatly help green transition.
Thailand is actively implementing Long-term Low Greenhouse Gas Emission Development Strategy. We have realigned our National Energy Plan in shifting consumption to clean energy, and promote energy efficiency. The country also aims to increase the production of Zero Emission Vehicles to 30% by 2030, and plans to scale up sustainable agronomy to reduce climate change vulnerability and improve farmers’ well-being. The Prime Minister was confident that these policies will help reach the national targets to reduce 40% of greenhouse gas emission by 2030, to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and net-zero emission by 2065.
Second, The importance of environment and ecosystem conservation must be recognized. Thailand aims to expand green areas up to 55% of the country’s total area. As for marine and coastal biodiversity, Thailand is committed to the “30 by 30 Target” for protected areas, per the country’s pledge during COP CBD in December 2022. The Prime Minister expressed belief that sustainable blue economy will be crucial to achieve a Green Maritime Silk Road.
Third, Green Finance Mechanism is an indispensable tool for a green transition. So far, Thailand has raised 12.5 billion US dollars through the issuance of Sustainability Bond to fund multiple sustainability projects. Soon, the country will introduce Sustainability Linked Bonds to stimulate the growth of green bonds market. This will incentivize all entities as well as support the private sector and MSMEs to engage in eco-friendly businesses.
Fourth is that cooperation and commitment to multilateralism must be fostered. Multilateral frameworks provide opportunities for collaboration, building partnerships, sharing knowledge and stimulating innovations for the welfare of the people.
In closing, the Prime Minister underscored the need to continue working together under the BRI and create partnerships that generate sustainable, inclusive, and equitable growth for all.
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High-Level Forum at the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) were held in parallel in 3 topics, namely, Green, Connectivity, and Digital. The Prime Minister delivered his statement under the “Green” topic, which was chaired by Chinese Vice President Han Zheng. (PRD)
