THAILAND - The visit of US President Barack Obama next week will not only mark the
180th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Thailand and the United States, it
will also bring up serious political and economic matters for discussion,
officials said yesterday.
Foreign Minister Surapong
Towichukchaikul said Obama's visit would boost the Kingdom's standing in the
international community. Thailand has been a long-time strategic partner of the
US.
Among economic issues, upgrading
Thailand's trade status and eliminating obstacles will be the two key topics up
for discussion.
A senior official at the Commerce
Ministry explained that Thai authorities had been trying hard to upgrade the
country's status on the Special 301 Report of the Office of the US Trade
Representative and that the president's visit would be the perfect time to show
that efforts are being made to protect intellectual property (IP).
The US has been including
Thailand in its Priority Watch List (PWL), which is the second-lowest ranking
given to countries violating IP protection. Officials hope that Thailand will
be moved up to the normal Watch List in April after languishing in the PWL
category for five years. Thailand will tell Washington about progress in
endorsing two laws related to protection of IP rights.
It will also call on the US to
lower its stringent trade barriers and increase fairness for facilitating trade
and investment between the two nations.
Talks on Thailand's participation
in the Washington-initiated Trans Pacific Partnership could also be on the
table, the source said.
According to the US Embassy in
Thailand, Obama will visit Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar in the Asean region
from November 17-20.
This would be a historic official
visit by a US president to those countries, reflecting his strong interest to
the Asean region. Advance security teams from the US have already visited these
countries to prepare the grounds for his visit.
Obama will meet with Prime
Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to mark 180 years of diplomatic relations between
Thailand and the US, to reaffirm as well as strengthen the alliance in various
sectors, an official statement said.
The Nation/Asia News Network
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