It's not to late for Thailand to join TTP, says PM
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Thailand still has until 2017 before reaching a decision on whether to become a member of the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Friday.
“Thailand still has time to carefully study additional details. We are not shutting ourselves out,” Prayut said in his weekly TV programme “Returning Happiness to People in the Country”.
Prayut was responding after voices in the business sector warned that the country may have missed its chance to become a TPP member and if this were the case the country would lose a huge business opportunity as it was in dire need to boost the sluggish economic growth.
Prayut said the Ministry of Commerce had invited the Federation of Thai Industries, the Board of Trade and the Thai Bankers Association to discuss the matter.
He said becoming a TPP member would be beneficial to the country and would have an influencing affect on investors.
However, some business representatives remain worried about how Thailand will compete in the exportation of goods known as sensitive products.
Prayut said Thailand had free trade agreements with nine of the 12 TPP member countries.
It currently does not have an agreement with the United States, Canada and Mexico.
At present, Thailand is negotiating a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. The RCEP is an economic cooperation framework between the 10 member countries of Asean and six of the grouping’s trading partners – China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.
Prayut said to become a TPP member negotiations had to be conducted with bilateral trading partners and a consensus reached.
He said the population within the ASEAN + 6 group was 3.5 billion, almost half the world’s population.
“This is a big market that can accommodate goods and services from Thailand. It is expected to take one to two years [before the TPP group is finalised]. We still have time to consider this,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, the PM said the government was planning two phases of bus procurements to replace old buses.
He said the first phase was to immediately replace old buses with finished NGV vehicles.
“We will do everything in our capacity to prevent corruption from the procurement,’’ Prayut said.
He said the second phase was to possibly let domestic companies produce electric vehicles.
“This will help create jobs, income and new entrepreneurs. Prices should be lower too,’’ he said.
Bus routes will be adjusted in Bangkok and its vicinity as part of the restructuring of the country’s transportation system, he said.
Prayut said the government had told state agencies to study how to make trains, buses, batteries and engines so the country could save money as these imported products were expensive.
“It is something we are serious about getting into,’’ he said.
“We also need to help our country reduce carbon emissions released by vehicles. We need to reduce the emission rate by 30 per cenr.’’
