high - skilled labour. this allows the gms to continually expand the production capacity and speed up innovations that would foster the long - term regional economic growth going forward. ladies and gentlemen : 10. this journey of transformation is not a bed of roses and it could take some times to bear fruits. yet, there are opportunities to be seized in pursuit of long - term sustainable development. with promising prospects await, what i expect to see in a very fast - approaching future is the interplay between different facets of development to strengthen the health of the economy and keep it well in balance. these recipes may sound familiar, if not already overheard. the key enablers that i view important to warrant the gms ’ s smooth transformation towards strong growth foundation mentioned above include ( 1 ) infrastructure ( 2 ) in - house technological advancement and ( 3 ) sound financial system. 11. firstly, in order to unlock the long - run potential growth, well - established infrastructure will be one of the crucial pillars that will sow a seed of a healthy investment climate conducive for growth. such that, infrastructure upgrade requires time, yet necessary. investment in logistic areas including increasing road density, better railway system, modernized airports and seaports will all lead to the enhancement of both production and distribution processes whereby strengthening connectivity among members. preeminently, concrete long - term plans on infrastructure projects are vital in order to attract large pool of regional savings to meet investment needs. a set - up of asian infrastructure investment bank or aiib comes at a right juncture to raise potential for infrastructure financing for the whole region. also, governments ’ clear focus on infrastructure upgrading will facilitate the growing cross - border trading activities. i am glad to see the continued cooperation between thailand and other gms members in linking our rail networks and roads in order to foster trade and investment interconnectedness among us. 12. secondly, despite physical infrastructures in place, lack of innovative ideas to leverage on existing knowledge and technology could undermine the potential of the region. with this bottleneck, the economies may face limitation in sustaining their competitive advantage, which currently rely heavily on the exploitation of natural bis central bankers ’ speeches endowments and support from the government. in this regard, private sector ’ s improvement in technology and innovations, in tandem with other infrastructure development, can become a tailwind to support the gms to overcome technology stagnation and provide a competitive edge to the private sector. this should also enhance the intra - regional trade

- number - of - facebook - users / 4 according to international federation of robotics, thailand ’ s robot sales increased by over 30 percent between 2015 and 2017 and are expected to grow at an annual average of more than 20 percent over the next three years. international federation of robotics. world robotics 2018. 8 / 9 promoting adoption of interoperable e - payment infrastructures within thailand as well as among regional partners in summary, the ability to adapt to new environment along with having macroeconomic stability and diversified growth engines have enabled the thai economy to have the resilience to endure adverse incidents and will safeguard us from impacts from future uncertainties and disruptions. ladies and gentlemen, i have now come to the end of my talk. let me give you a brief summary of what i have said today. the thai economy is expected to continue to expand, though at a slightly slower pace, with domestic demand being the main drivers of growth. the risks and concerns going forward include prolonged trade disputes, slowdown of the chinese economy, geopolitical risks, and transition of the thai political landscape. nevertheless, with the economy possessing three important qualities of resilience, namely macroeconomic stability, diversified growth engines, and ability to adapt, i am confident that the thai economy can withstand various challenges in the years to come. again, it is my great honor to be here this evening with our longtime friends who have supported thailand ’ s economic and financial development. let me assure you that the bank of thailand will continue to strengthen our economic resilience and stay firmly committed to our principal mandate to support sustainable economic growth while maintaining price and financial stability. thank you. 9 / 9