Thailand set to welcome Chinese investors, says PM Abhisit

BEIJING, June 25 (TNA) – Visiting Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Thursday  told the Chinese business community that Thailand now has sufficient potential to cater to foreign investors and that his country is ready to welcome them with the goal of boosting bilateral trade in future.
 
Mr. Abhisit, now on the second day of his four-day official visit to China, told Chinese investors during a speech that the political situation in Thailand has now returned to normal and with the twin government-sponsored economic stimulus programmes, he believed that the domestic economy could return to the black early next year, which he said is a good sign.
 
Thailand, he said, also has several other pluses to cater to investor needs, including varied entertainment venues, schools, hospitals, a skilled workforce and a government plan to establish the ‘One Start and One Stop Service Center’ to assist and provide legal counsel to foreign investors.
 
Mr. Abhisit said Wednesday’s signing of several bilateral cooperation agreements with his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao could further boost trade between the two countries in future.
 
Regarding tourism, Mr. Abhisit said his government plans to extend exemptions on visa requirements for Chinese tourists visiting Thailand, a measure which to due to expire at the end of June, to March 2010.
 
He also proposed to Chinese investors that they use Thailand as a goods distribution centre to member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) under ASEAN-China agreement which would help strengthen relations between both countries. (TNA)