THAILAND POSITIONS ITSELF AS ASEAN GATEWAY

摘要

Udom Wongwiwatchai, secretary general of Thailand's Board of Investment (BOl) is a busy man. Last year, projects seeking BOI privileges soared to a record Bt1.47 trillion, more than double the Bt634 billion reported in 2011. This year, Udom expects the strong trend to continue thanks to Thailand's solid infrastructure, its large population and strategic location at the geographic centre of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), a marketplace with 600 million potential consumers. "Thailand enjoys an ideal location at the crossroads of the thriving ASEAN region," he says, pointing to the growing purchasing power of the various member countries as well as their increasing demand for products and services. "From here, we can gain access to untapped markets and resources within Southeast Asia and beyond, in diverse regions including China, India and the Middle East."