HONG KONG: The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) said it is looking forward to working closely with Thailand to expand areas of business investment as the Covid-19 pandemic eases and China reopens its borders and lifts travel restrictions.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 16th Asian Financial Forum (AFF), Patrick Lau, deputy executive director of the HKTDC, said both Thailand and Hong Kong can keep boosting areas of investment, business and bilateral trade.
Mr Lau was asked what types of businesses Hong Kong has encouraged its investors to pursue in Thailand as the pandemic wanes and China reopens.
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‘Such a good friend’
“Thailand is such a good friend. We always have Thai delegates from Thailand attending our [business and investment] events,” Mr Lau said.
He said he once visited the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) east of Bangkok and saw how the kingdom has benefited from the boost in trade and manufacturing there.
Developing the EEC is at the heart of the “Thailand 4.0” scheme to upgrade the economy and focus more on high-tech industries.
The EEC is an area-based development initiative that aims to revitalise the Eastern Seaboard where business developers have seen their investments pay dividends for 30 years.
The project initially focused on the three eastern provinces of Rayong, Chon Buri and Chachoengsao.
Its development plan envisages a transformation in terms of both physical and social development while also positioning the EEC as a regulatory sandbox, uplifting the country’s competitiveness.
The Thai government has encouraged international investors to pour funds into the EEC project, especially in such areas as electric vehicle manufacturing and smart city
development.
“Going for investments from both sides, in particular, I know Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor is looking for more innovation-based development.
We previously linked up, for example, our cyber port with Thailand’s EEC project, which we can talk more about, and how more technologies matter as well as the smart city [concept],” Mr Lau said.
Mr Lau added that Thailand and Hong Kong can work even more closely in terms of business investment, with Thai companies already forging many deals in the Chinese territory.
“However, [we have] many other areas that we have yet to discuss,” he added.
The HKTDC is a statutory organisation responsible for promoting Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub.
It also has an office in Bangkok.
The organisation works to support the business and investment policies of the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).
Source: Bangkok Post
