Thailand and China - working together for a smart Asean

This took place at a meeting of the Thai and Chinese science ministers at the Third Forum on China-Asean Technology Transfer and Collaborative Innovation in Nanning.
The vice minister of China’s Science and Technology Ministry, Cao Jianlin, who was a party to the agreement, stressed the importance of working with Thailand in these areas.
The first stage, particularly the development of Thailand’s high-speed rail project, had gone very well, he said.
While this endeavour will continue, the next stage will focus on the development of the Gistda satellite base in Chon Buri, which will play a key role in Thailand’s transition to a high-income, high-value economy.
Gistda is a ground station for communicating with satellites and China is rapidly developing its satellite system, with plans to have sent 35 satellites in orbit by 2020.
Its Beidou satellite navigational system is being developed as an alternative to America’s Global Positioning System, or GPS. In 2013, Thailand became the first foreign country to operate the system.
The director of Gistda, Anond Snidwongs, said navigational technology is the world’s most powerful technology trend.
It is the key to many innovative technologies and developments such as cloud computing, big data, the sensor web and smart cities.
Practical applications include remote sensing, logistics and self-driving cars. It is also a key element in sustainable development, being used to map climate change and weather patterns.
It can support energy conservation, efficient transportation, water management and disaster preparedness.
China’s navigational system technology is the best in the world, so the collaboration will help Thailand to become an advanced technology-based society in the future, he said.
Thai industry is already capable of high-tech manufacturing. The development of this technology will help us to keep abreast of the latest trends and maintain our leadership in auto production, while also enabling our manufacturers to venture into the higher realms of space technology manufacturing.
Gistda intends to become the Asean hub for geo-informatics technology development and training.
It will provide information exchanges for space technology, support the development of smart economic corridors in the region and attract entrepreneurs to make use of space technology in their business.
The development of space technology is an extremely important part of China’s innovation-driven development strategy. It is being given high priority in terms of research and development.
Clearly a cooperative partnership with China in science and technology will also help Thailand to move up the value chain and provide support for a Smart Asean.