Thai DPM proposes to create "power of Asia"

BANGKOK, June 6 (TNA) - Thai Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak has proposed that Asian nations create the "power of Asia" to jointly get through emerging challenges in the world. The visiting Thai deputy premier voiced the proposal in Tokyo on Tuesday while delivering a keynote speech at the Nikei Forum, themed " The Future Of Asia". The Thai deputy prime minister said amid the more vulnerable global situation, Asian nations should join forces to move forward together in the newly-created "power of Asia" to build up a new hope collectively. The Thai deputy premier acknowledged China's One Belt One Road Policy, aimed to connect Asia with Europe and Africa, and Japan's initiative on playing a new regional leadership in lieu of the United States to create a new regional free trade area (FTA) with 12 allied nations, covering ASEAN member countries, China, Japan, South Korea, India and New Zealand, the two strategic policies of which could become joint major striking forces in the region to deal with emerging global challenges, while strengthening regional connectivity in various areas, including transport, labor and productivity to turn Asia to become a world major production base. The deputy prime minister took the opportunity to declare Thailand's readiness to play a central role in the CLMVT group, comprising five growing mainland member countries of the ASEAN Community (AC) namely Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand, to work together with Japan to create the new "Future of Asia" and to become new engines to help drive the regional and the global economies forward. The Thai deputy premier later met members of Japan's powerful Business Federation, known as Keidanren, and invited the Keidanren's members to participate in a grand event to celebrate the 130th anniversarty of trade and investment ties and cooperation between Japan and Thailand, set to be organized in Bangkok on September 26, 2017. (TNA)