Thai Expert: Two Important Strategic Partners Contribute to Promoting ASEAN Peace and Stability

Mr. Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Fellow, Institute of Security and International Studies, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. (Photo: Dinh Truong)

Ahead of the official visit to Vietnam from May 15-16 of Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Mr. Kavi Chongkittavorn, Senior Fellow, Institute of Security and International Studies, Chulalongkorn University (Thailand) assessed that the visit of the head of the Royal Thai Government to Hanoi is of great significance as it takes place at a time when the international order is being affected by geopolitical tensions and increasing trade conflicts.

According to this expert, Vietnam and Thailand can cooperate closely to promote multilateral trade and enhance good practices based on rules covering economic, political, security and socio-cultural fields.

“Thailand and Vietnam have an excellent relationship and are gradually becoming one of the most important strategic partnerships in the region,” said Mr. Kavi Chongkittavorn.

He assessed Vietnam and Thailand as two major trade partners, both bilaterally and within ASEAN. The two countries are moving towards the goal of increasing bilateral trade turnover from 20 billion USD to 25 billion USD/year.

This scholar commented that Vietnam and Thailand, along with other ASEAN members, are the countries that promote ASEAN to become a regional bloc that promotes peace and stability, not only in regional cooperation but also in the global context that is currently facing an uncertain future.

Commenting on the recent approval of 30 projects worth 16.4 billion baht (498 million USD) by the Thai Cabinet in the northeastern region (Isaan), home to a large Vietnamese-Thai community, Kavi Chongkittavorn said that these investments will have a long-term positive impact on cross-border trade and promote connectivity between the two countries.

He considered this a very good project because it proposed three connections at the grassroots level. The project will link the northeastern region of Thailand with the central region of Vietnam, helping to promote cooperation in trade and people-to-people exchanges. This also reflects one of the similarities between the two countries today, which is that both sides want to reduce inequality and bring disadvantaged areas into the national economic growth zones.

He also said that Thailand and Vietnam share the same view as being the strongest supporters of ASEAN centrality and unity, especially in trade negotiations. “One of the agendas is to ensure that ASEAN is a driving force in multilateral trade and the international rules-based order, so this is very important in the context of ASEAN being subject to the current tariffs,” said Kavi Chongkittavorn.

Emphasizing that Thailand and Vietnam have had dynamic bilateral trade relations and are also the region's two largest exporters to the West, scholar Kavi Chongkittavorn said the two countries need to diversify their investment and trade portfolios, continue to invest and strengthen relations in the digital economy.

According to him, Vietnam's determination to strengthen relations with other trade partners such as the European Union (EU) and Japan shows a long-term vision in the face of the rise of protectionist policies and higher tariffs. Therefore, he concluded that within the framework of ASEAN, Thailand and Vietnam should consult each other on the regional economic and political situation because these two issues are increasingly linked.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/chuyen-gia-thai-lan-hai-doi-tac-chien-luoc-quan-trong-gop-phan-thuc-day-hoa-binh-va-on-dinh-asean-314382.html