STORY: Thai PM eyes further BRI cooperation on infrastructure, green energy
DATELINE: Oct. 18, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:56
LOCATION: Bangkok
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. SOUNDBITE (English): SRETTHA THAVISIN, Thai Prime Minister
2. various of Thailand

STORYLINE:

The third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) is held in Beijing from Tuesday to Wednesday.

Ahead of his trip to Beijing for the forum, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said in an interview with Xinhua that Thailand is looking forward to more Belt and Road (BRI) cooperation in sectors including infrastructure and green energy to deepen cooperation with China.

SOUNDBITE (English): SRETTHA THAVISIN, Thai Prime Minister
"Logistics is one of the major issues. Without modern transport methods, goods can not go flow through. And we need to improve that. And I believe we've been lagging behind in terms of our development, so I will use this opportunity to catch up.

You need developments of airports, new ports, and future land bridges as well (to boost economic growth). A lot more can be done and should be done in terms of infrastructure development."

The prime minister said green energy is another area where Thailand seeks further cooperation under BRI.

SOUNDBITE (English): SRETTHA THAVISIN, Thai Prime Minister
"We want to attract world-class investors into Thailand, but being able to supply them with green energy is key. Otherwise, their products, when they export out from Thailand, would not be well received by the destination. This is one of the major issues. We need to reassure that we have sufficient green energy."

Srettha said China is one of Thailand's biggest trading partners, and expressed hope that the two sides could work together to facilitate the transfer of skills.

SOUNDBITE (English): SRETTHA THAVISIN, Thai Prime Minister
"China is one of the biggest trading partners of Thailand. And lately, they have been a major country that made foreign direct investments into Thailand. We have a long-standing relationship.
And by setting up factories here, you need to bring in your top engineers as well. We can learn from that, and hopefully, some Thais could be trained in China as well."
           
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Bangkok.
(XHTV)