HKETO opened in Bangkok

BANGKOK, February 28 (TNA) - The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) has been opened in Bangkok, reflecting a well progress of the Thai government's policy on developing a strategic economic partnership with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Thai Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, who oversees economic affairs, made the remarks on Thursday, after presiding over a ceremony to open the HKETO in the capital with HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who is leading a delegation of the Hong Kong public and private sectors to visit Thailand during February 27-28. Somkid acknowledged that the opening of the HKETO in Bangkok shows the HKSAR's recognition of Thailand's potential as an economic hub in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), which should boost confidence in the Thai economy in terms of trade and investment among international business operators, expectedly resulting in their further expanding trade and investment, as well as other economic cooperation issues with the Thai Kingdom. "The Thai government pays very much attention to the opening of the HKETO, Bangkok's branch, as it is also a symbolic sign of a close and solid relationship between Hong Kong and Thailand. The Thai government would also like to praise Hong Kong for a great success in turning the small-scaled Chinese autonomous territory to become a most significant trade, investment, financial and logistics hub in the region and even in the world", the Thai deputy premier declared. "Hong Kong has now become a Super Connector between China's modernized Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), also known as the One Belt One Road or the Silk Road Economic Belt, and the world economy,thanks to its outstanding strategic location on the estuary of the Chinese Zhujiang or the Pearl River, as the growing business island has been dubbed the 'dragon mouth' of China. China's BRI and Thailand's Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) can also link with each other through trade and investment, especially in the Thai government's now targeted S-Curve innovative industries, based on the Thailand 4.0 Policy, that can further link with those in other countries in AEC, East Asia and South Asia", the Thai deputy premier noted. The Thai deputy prime minister announced, meanwhile, that more delegations of the Hong Kong public and private sectors will visit Thailand in April and May 2019 to discuss and explore the further expansion of bilateral trade and investment, as well as other economic cooperation with the Thai side, as Hong Kong views the Thai economy as a key gateway to AEC and the Thai Kingdom considers Hong Kong as a major gateway to the immense Chinese economy through the ASEAN-Hong Kong Free Trade Area (AHKFTA) and the ASEAN-Hong Kong Investment Agreement (AHKIA), which will be effective as of mid-2019. The deputy prime minister said that Thailand is also a beneficiary of the Greater Bay Area (GBA), a Chinese major special economic zone connecting Hong Kong with Macao and the Zhujiang Estuary Triangle in the Guangdong Province, comprising of 11 cities. (TNA)