TOKYO, May 24 – Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra expressed strong confidence today that “The Asian Century” will be realised in the coming decades with US$6.4 trillion foreign reserves in the entire region.
In a speech to the 19th international conference in Japan on “The Future of Asia,” she said that Eastern Asia has grown steadily and expanded its influence globally with an estimated growth of Asian gross domestic product (GDP) against the global GDP at 51 per cent in 2050.
She said “The Asian Century” will materialise but she hoped that capital inflows into the region will be for long-term investment, not for short-term speculation.
Premier Yingluck pointed out that Asia’s diversity will be challenge and can limit the growth and prosperity of the continent, possibly leading to disputes and conflicts of interest.
Ms Yingluck called on Asian nations to emphasise investment more to connect the region by land and sea, adding that high-speed rail routes will be the “new silk road” linking Asia and Europe.
Giving reassurances that the mega Dawei deep seaport project on the Thai-Myanmar border will be an investment for the future of Asia, the Thai prime minister said the huge industrial and export zone will become a strategic location connecting Thai industrial estates to Myanmar, Thailand’s neighbour to the West.
She emphasised that the Thai government’s Bt2 trillion loan for infrastructure development will be an investment in the future of Thailand and to connect with other Southeast Asian countries through rail system.
Touching on the South China Sea dispute, Ms Yingluck said it is vital that Asian countries tackle any challenge which could be detrimental to marine connectivity in the future.
Peace and stability are significant fundamentals for a better future and the launch of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015, she said, means that the entire region will grow together through connectivity.
She said Thailand is investing in water resource management to cope with natural disasters and build a strong foundation for sustainable growth.
“The future of Asia is in the hands of everyone and depends on the new generation who will set the direction for growth. It is the road [on which] we cooperate, learn from each other and grow together, not only for the region but for the world,” she said.
Ms Yingluck and the Thai delegation will leave Japan tomorrow after a four-day visit during which she also held discussions with her Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on bilateral cooperation and investment.
