BANGKOK – The Thai Prime Minister has presided over an official ceremony to welcome the Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Investment and representatives of the Japanese business sector, who are on a three-day investment trip in the Kingdom.
At Santi Maitree Building, Government House, Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha hosted the event to celebrate the 130th anniversary of Thai-Japanese diplomatic relations. Among those attending the ceremony were members of the Thai Cabinet, the Board of Investment of Thailand, and the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Policy Committee, as well as Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Investment, trade organizations and nearly 600 Japanese investors.
In his address, Mr Hiroshige Seko, Minister of Economy, Trade and Investment of Japan, expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to meet the Thai Prime Minister and government. He noted that Japan had maintained long-standing cooperation with Thailand as the Kingdom was considered the manufacturing hub of ASEAN. The Minister voiced his hope that this visit to Thailand by the Japanese entrepreneurs would bring the existing relations and friendship between the two nations even closer.
Prime Minister Prayut then gave his welcoming speech to the Japanese businesspersons, referring to Japan as one of the closest and oldest friends of Thailand. With a large number of Japanese investors joining in this visit, he thanked them for their interest in Thailand, affirming that Thailand as well as the rest of ASEAN would always welcome them with open arms.
The Prime Minister insisted that the Kingdom placed importance on its cooperation with Japan and had adopted various mechanisms to accommodate Japanese investments, especially the Thailand 4.0 policy and the EEC development project, which would be implemented over the long term in line with the 20-year national strategy.
In addition, Gen Prayut cited Japan as a model for the development of SMEs and startups and asked the country to consider transferring know-how, technology and innovation to Thai entrepreneurs as they geared up for the 4.0 era. The premier also assured the Japanese businesses that they could have confidence in the potential of Thailand and should not hesitate to invest in the Kingdom.
