Yingluck says Asia ready to support Europe
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra told her Asian and European counterparts that Thailand, and the rest of the region, wanted to see a quick rebound in Europe. She was speaking at the ninth Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem), being held in Vientiane.
She also reiterated her government’s moves to mitigate the impact of the euro-zone financial crisis and to sustain economic growth during the current global recession. She said Thailand would also promote trade and investment in Europe so both regions could grow together as “partners for prosperity”.
According to the government’s website, Asean connectivity will be pushed further so the community gets genuinely integrated by 2015 and is beneficial for both Asia and Europe.
Yingluck left Bangkok yesterday morning to attend the two-day summit with leaders from 46 countries and two key organisations – the European Commission and the Asean Secretariat.
The leaders discussed the stalled trade agenda between fast-growing Asian countries and the slowing European nations, as the debt crisis is undermining the expansion of commercial ties. Europe’s economic woes may exacerbate protectionist tendencies, making it harder to expand trade with Asia at a time when the United States and Australia are forging new agreements, said Fredrik Erixon, chief of the European Centre for International Political Economy in Brussels.
Apart from its trade deal with South Korea, the 27-member European Union has been experiencing a lag in talks with China, Japan, India and Southeast Asian countries since 2007.
Asem, which was established in 1996, has welcomed three new members this year, namely Norway, Switzerland and Bangladesh.
In addition to discussing the future direction of Asem, leaders are expected to talk about economic and financial issues, global and regional concerns, and social and cultural cooperation.
Yingluck has said she will fully support policies deemed beneficial to both regions, including cooperation on disaster management, enhancement of regional connectivity and cooperation in solving problems resulting from such connectivity, such as human trafficking and transnational crime.
While in Vientiane, Yingluck held separate meetings with leaders from several countries such as Laos, Norway, Poland, Estonia, Japan and Italy to strengthen bilateral ties and seek new areas of cooperation.
