Announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, “One Belt, One Road” covers two routes – the Silk Road Economic Belt and the twenty first Century Maritime Silk Road. The routes connect China with Europe through Central Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and Africa.
Thailand hopes that China’s One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative will boost trade and investment, in addition to increase the variety of tourists visiting Thailand from Eurasian countries, including Kazakhstan, which is hosting Astana Expo 2017.
Nat Pinyowattanacheep, Thailand’s ambassador to Kazakhstan, said that while the worth of trade between Thailand and Kazakhstan is currently low as a consequence of transportation problems as cargo must be shipped through Moscow, Thailand hopes the important thing OBOR AH1 route will reduce transportation times. AH1 would connect China, Vietnam and Thailand and thus boost trade between Thailand and Eurasian countries.
The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), with a population of over 180 million people, includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Moldova, which became the EU’s first observer on April 14 this yr.
During Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s official visit to St. Petersburg, Russia in mid-May and in reference to the ASEAN-Russia summit, there have been discussions about increasing the trade volume between the 2 sides fivefold in five years.
There have been moves towards a free trade agreement with the EAEU. The Thai Ministry of Commerce and the Russian Ministry of Economic Development also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Trade and Economic Cooperation.
“Kazakhstan wants to become the financial center of this region, like Dubai for the Middle East,” Nat said.
Nat also urged Thai businesses to adapt and see the region as a distinct segment market with food demand. He said Thailand has a definite advantage in providing halal food in addition to food crops akin to coconut oil.
“If Thai investors explore investment opportunities in Eurasian countries, it could bode well for the future,” he added.
Kazakhstan, wealthy in crude oil and minerals, has a per capita GDP of US$18,000 per head. About 50,000 tourists from Kazakhstan visit Thailand yearly. He added that there are plans to launch marketing activities to draw more guests from Kazakhstan.
Thailand’s Deputy Minister of Energy, General Surasak Srisak, said that Astana Expo 2017, organized on a 1.74 million square meter plot in Astana under the slogan “Energy of the Future”, is expecting 500,000 visitors and participants from 115 countries and 20 international organizations from all over the world.
