29-9-2023 (PHNOM PENH) Thailand and Cambodia have committed to strengthening their ties and increasing bilateral trade volume to $15 billion (551 billion baht) by 2025, according to government spokesman Chai Wacharonke.
The announcement came after a meeting between Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet in Phnom Penh on Thursday. This visit marks Prime Minister Srettha’s first official trip to Cambodia as part of his introductory tour of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries to enhance leader-to-leader relations.
Chai Wacharonke highlighted that both leaders assumed their respective offices on the same day, August 22, and congratulated each other on becoming prime ministers. He also noted that they share similar goals of guiding their countries in the same direction.
During the meeting, the two prime ministers expressed their commitment to upgrading their strategic partnership. Prime Minister Srettha extended an invitation to Prime Minister Hun Manet to visit Thailand. They discussed enhancing economic cooperation, with a particular focus on increasing bilateral trade volume to $15 billion by 2025. Both leaders agreed to promote further investment cooperation, develop cross-border areas, and foster new economies based on innovative technologies to drive growth.
Cooperation in the digital and green economies was also a key topic of discussion. Prime Ministers Srettha and Hun Manet emphasized the importance of connecting supply chains between Thailand and Cambodia and facilitating business matching, especially among small and medium-sized entrepreneurs.
In terms of infrastructure development, the leaders discussed upgrading Thailand-Cambodia border crossing points, developing rail transport, and promoting border tourism. They explored the possibility of introducing a temporary land transport border pass to facilitate travel for individuals without passports. Additionally, they agreed to expedite the opening of the Thai-Cambodia Friendship Bridge at Ban Nong Ian village in Sa Kaeo’s Aranyaprathet district, connecting with Satung Bot village in Poi Pet on the Cambodian side, to enhance cross-border trade.
Prime Minister Srettha also proposed that Cambodia host the next meeting of the Joint Boundary Committee to upgrade border crossing points and boost cross-border trade. He emphasized the need for joint efforts in de-mining activities along the shared border to ensure security. Both leaders supported regular exchanges of visits between officials from their respective security agencies to enhance collaboration in combating trans-border crimes, call-centre scams, and other illicit activities in border areas.
Furthermore, Prime Minister Srettha stressed the importance of human resource development and sustainable development. He expressed Thailand’s willingness to work closely with Cambodia to address the issue of fake news, which has the potential to cause misunderstandings between the two countries.
Following the one-day visit, Prime Minister Srettha shared his positive experience on social media platforms, stating that he felt glad and honored during his visit and received a warm welcome from Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.
