Prime Minister encourages China to invest in EEC
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha urged China on Thursday to pour more investment into his pet project, the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), in order to ensure seamless regional connectivity.
The premier discussed the matter with China Investment Corporation (CIC) president Peng Chun, who met him at Government House for talks on cooperation and investment in Thailand.
Prayut said it had been a good opportunity to discuss and explore ways to cooperate further on investment, and that Peng had further insisted that Thailand had the potential to be the heart of his country’s regional investment.
“This visit will help CIC to research and find new ways to invest in accordance with its objectives,” Peng said.
Prayut said his government would support the Chinese-Thai relationship and strategic partnership, particularly in relation to the economy and connectivity. That was because Thailand’s 4.0 policy was in accordance with China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project.
The CIC executive emphasised the two countries’ close bond and hoped to strengthen it further.
Peng said that Thailand’s 4.0 model and Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) project were key factors in its economic development - he was also interested in exploring new ways to invest in basic construction, energy and transportation in the Kingdom.
Prayut encouraged his Chinese visitor to participate in the EEC project, especially in Eastern Economic Corridor Innovation (EECi) and Digital Park Thailand (EECd).
“We could share and exchange our ideas and experiences,” he said.
The PM also stressed the significance of seamless connectivity in Asean, which could play an important role in the region’s sustainable development and increase the potential of competition in the region.
He hoped CIC would consider investing in the development of regional connectivity in order to link sub-regions and regions in the future.