VLADIVOSTOK, RUSSIA: Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has
urged leaders of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) member countries to
commit to realising commitments the group made in Bogor, Indonesia to avoid
trade and investment blocs.
She said all 20 Apec leaders must
join hands to create and maintain high employment and to ensure the free flow
of goods, services and capital.
"Thailand is ready to play
its part to ensure that Apec continues to be a sustainable engine of global
growth. Thailand plays a proactive role in various regional contexts,
especially the Association of Southeast Asian Nations [Asean] and the Mekong
sub-region," Ms Yingluck said.
Apec's regional cooperation
frameworks can help revive global growth and employment, Ms Yingluck said
during the retreat, which kicked off yesterday and will end today.
Thailand supports the idea of
free trade area convergence and transparent free trade area agreements, Ms
Yingluck said.
She said connectivity is the key
to functioning supply chains and regional integration, and stressed that it
must be a priority for all members.
"I believe that through a
new rail system, connectivity can be efficiently expanded from Southeast Asia
to China and Russia, or from Bangkok to Vladivostok and through to
Europe," she said.
Thailand will invest in a
north-south high-speed railway and upgrade its existing rail network, Ms
Yingluck said.
She also urged Apec leaders to do
more on the "software of connectivity" such as establishing common
standards, rules and regulations to achieve a smoother flow of goods and
services.
Foreign Minister Surapong
Tovichakchaikul held a one-hour bilateral talk with his Chinese counterpart
Yang Jiechi on the South China Sea problem.
Thailand is acting as a
coordinator between Asean and China on the maritime dispute.
Mr Yang agreed with the Thai
proposal to resume talks with Asean on a code of conduct after a tense
gathering in Phnom Penh during the Asean ministerial meeting in July this year.
Mr Surapong also informed Mr Yang
about Thailand's plan to host an international conference on Sustainable Water
Resource Management among the six riparian Mekong countries in January.
In separate bilateral talks with
Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba, Mr Surapong stressed the need to
address supply chain reliability and continuity in case of emergencies.
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