US Secretary of Commerce meets Thai PM

BANGKOK, September 28 (TNA) - US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross has met and discussed bilateral business and economic cooperation for mutual benefits between Washington and Bangkok with Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha and his Cabinet members at Bangkok's Government House. Deputy Government Spokesman Lieutenant General Werachon Sukondhapatipak told journalists that during their meeting on September 27, the Thai prime minister first thanked the US secretary of commerce for leading his team to express their condolences to the passing of late His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej in the official mourning book. The deputy spokesman stated that the Thai prime minister, in turn, expressed his regret on behalf of the government and the Thai people for casualties and property damages to the United States caused by disastrous Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria recently, as Thailand has contributed one million baht to the American Red Cross for its mitigation mission. The deputy spokesman said the Thai prime minister stressed on the longstanding friendship between Washington and Bangkok, citing the two allied nations' celebrations of the 185th anniversary of their diplomatic relations and the 200th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce in 2018. According to the deputy spokesman, the Thai prime minister took the opportunity to brief the US secretary of commerce on his government's attempts and progress over the past three years on the solution to the illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing issues, raised by the European Union (EU), and to the intellectual property rights violation and human trafficking-related issues, raised by the United States, as well as aviation issues, raised by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Besides, the Thai government has further reduced trade and investment barriers, in parallel with expediting economic restructuring plans towards the Thailand 4.0 era through innovations and advanced technologies for the sake of national prosperity, security and sustainability in the long term. The deputy spokesman quoted the Thai prime minister as mentioning that his government has also proceeded with the national roadmap on comprehensive reforms towards the new general election in an appropriate period in the near future. "Prime Minister General Prayut expressed his appreciation to sound investment cooperation between the United States and Thailand and asked Washington to take care of a number of Thai private investors in the United States, affirming that American investors have been treated equally as their Thai counterparts in the Thai economy and expressing his confidence that the United States has acknowledged the Thai government's sincerity and his discussions with US President Donald Trump during his visit to the United States next week should, thus, result in mutual and equal benefits of both the American and the Thai people", the deputy spokesman told reporters. Accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn and Vice Minister for Commerce Veerasak Futrakul, the Thai prime minister later met a delegation of the US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC) and leading US business firms, including Boeing Southeast Asia, Underwriters Laboratories (UL), Chevron Asia-Pacific Exploration and Production Company, Ford ASEAN and General Electric and Phillip Morris International, who confirmed to continue investing in the Thai economy and to participate in digital economy investment projects based on the Thailand 4.0 Policy, under which advanced technologies will be transparently transferred to local firms to upgrade the Thai economy and society in order to keep pace with the fast changing world economy. (TNA)