วันเสาร์ที่ 13 พฤศจิกายน 2564
​PM invites Thai people to join hands in hosting 2022 APEC
​PM invites Thai people to join hands in hosting 2022 APEC
November 13, 2021, at 08.03 hrs, Prime Minister and Defense Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha delivered a statement to the Thai people to announce Thailand’s APEC chairmanship in 2022, following the handover of the chairmanship from New Zealand. Government Spokesperson Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana disclosed gist of his statement as follows:
According to the Prime Minister, Thailand will take over the APEC chair for one year throughout 2022. This will be a crucial opportunity for the country to reopen and drive forward post-COVID-19 rehabilitation into the future. It will also demonstrate our readiness to welcome foreign visitors, ranging from national leaders, prominent businessmen, leading press and media, and other stakeholders, who will be visiting Thailand throughout the year 2022. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, is a regional economic forum which Thailand is one of the founding member economies, and currently has 21 members with the combined GDP of over US$53 trillion (1,700 trillion Baht). Trade value of the APEC economies combined accounts for nearly half of the world’s trade value.
APEC’s membership has benefited Thailand in many ways through forging cooperation with strong economic partners, and putting forward new approaches for sustainable and inclusive development of the country, especially digital technology and innovation promotion, SMEs access to financial support, women empowerment in the economic system, and promotion of sustainable tourism. Being APEC chair is Thailand’s honor, and reflects the confidence of other APEC member economies toward the country. All concerned sectors, i.e., business sector, academicians, communities, and people of the new generations have been working closely together to conceptualize and lay out priorities that are of best interest to the Thai people.
The Prime Minister added that Thailand aims to turn crisis into opportunity to lead APEC toward post-COVID world that is opened, sustainable and balanced. This could be achieved through utilizing Bio-, Circular-, and Green (BCG) Economy Model. Theme of the 2022 APEC is “Open. Connect. Balance”, with the 3 priorities to be targeted, that is, 1) facilitating trade and investment; 2) advancing sustainable and inclusive growth; and 3) rebooting regional connectivity, especially travel and tourism for post-COVID-19 economic recovery.
The first APEC meeting will be held in Phuket during December 1-3, 2021, and over a hundred others will follow throughout the next year in other provinces across the country. It is expected that those meetings help stimulate provincial and local economy.
The Prime Minister also congratulated Mr. Chawanon Wongtrakuljong, a student from Chulalongkorn University, for winning the 2022 APEC logo competition. His work is inspired by a “Chalom”, a Thai bamboo basket used to carry items to travel from generation to generation. By using bamboo strands interlaced tightly together, it reflects cooperation among APEC economies.
The Prime Minister took the opportunity to invite all the Thai people to join hands in hosting the 2022 APEC, and affirmed the Government’s utmost effort to ensure its success which will benefit the Thai people and our children in the future. #APEC2022THAILAND