On the morning of June 28th, the 2023 China (Guangdong) - Thailand Economic and Trade Exchange Conference was held in Bangkok, Thailand, which attracted nearly 300 participants from the governments, industries, and commerce sectors in Guangdong, China and Thailand, with industries spanning electronic information, new energy vehicles, biomedicine, agriculture, and trade.
In recent years, Guangdong and Thailand's economic and trade connections have witnessed a burgeoning closeness. The bilateral import and export trade volume grew from 1,520 billion yuan in 2017 to 2,202 billion yuan in 2022, an increase of 45% in five years, accounting for approximately a quarter of the total Sino-Thai trade. Moreover, Thailand has emerged as Guangdong's third-largest trading partner in ASEAN.
Apart from this, the collaboration between Guangdong and Thailand has borne fruitful outcomes in culture, education, science and technology, and tourism, further consolidating their partnership.
During the conference, ten Guangdong enterprises, including Guangdong Agribusiness Group Corporation, Xingfa Aluminum and Eppen Biotech under Guangdong GuangXin Holdings Group, GAC Aion, Guangzhou Pharmaceuticals, and Shenzhen Minkeda, signed project cooperation agreements with the Guangdong Chamber of International Commerce and four Thai enterprises including Tailai Material, Better Pharma, Jinhui Technology, and Thailand Global Group. The total contract value of these projects reached RMB 10.5 billion.
On June 2nd this year, the full implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) will bring greater growth opportunities for trade and economic cooperation between Guangdong in China and Thailand.
Thailand, being one of the ASEAN countries that initiated the negotiations for the RCEP, has witnessed a substantial expansion in the trade and investment scale with China since the RCEP's enforcement on January 1st of the previous year. The investment commitments of the RCEP are distinguished by their remarkable transparency and openness, thereby providing an ideal platform for Chinese enterprises to invest in and establish factories in Thailand.
The implementation of the RCEP is poised to foster the advancement of bilateral economic and trade collaboration, a development that would undoubtedly propel the in-depth development of Thailand's economy, promoting growth and prosperity.
Dr. Li Wenli, the Chairman of Thailand Pavilion Group, said that the group has been working in close collaboration with Guangdong for more than a decade, persistently establishing a supply chain platform and introducing Thai products into China. The group plans to further enhance its partnership with Guangdong in various areas, including economy, trade, and culture. "Thanks to the RCEP, import policies have been greatly simplified. Furthermore, the favorable local policies and a conducive business environment in Guangdong instill greater confidence in Thai enterprises, motivating Thai and Guangdong businesses to collaborate and create new opportunities."
As a South China Normal University doctoral graduate, Dr. Li Wenli foresees that enterprises from Guangdong and Thailand will continue to deepen their engagement in various aspects, including economic and trade investment and talent cultivation. The shared vision of cooperation is expected to yield significant dividends for both parties, creating a win-win situation.
十大项目签约！广东与泰国携手共创经贸合作新机遇
6月28日上午，2023中国（广东）——泰国经贸交流会在泰国曼谷举行。吸引来自中国广东和泰国政府工商企业界人士近300人参加，产业包括电子信息、新能源汽车、生物医药、农业、贸易等领域。
近年来，广东与泰国经贸联系日益紧密。两地间进出口贸易额从2017年的1520亿元增长到2022年的2202亿元，五年间增长了45%，目前约占中泰贸易总额的四分之一，泰国已成为广东在东盟的第三大贸易国。与此同时，广东与泰国在文化、教育、科技、旅游等方面的合作成果丰硕。
会上，广东农垦集团公司、广新集团所属兴发铝业和伊品生物、广汽埃安、广州医药、深圳铭可达集团等十家粤企分别与广东国际商会、泰国Tailai Material（泰莱材料）、泰国Better Pharma（倍特制药）、泰国锦汇、泰国环球集团等泰国企业和商协会签署项目合作协议，项目合同总金额高达105亿元。
今年6月2日，RCEP全面生效将为中国（广东）和泰国两地商贸合作创造更大增长空间。
泰国是最早发起《区域全面经济伙伴关系协定》（RCEP）谈判的东盟国家之一。去年1月1日RCEP对泰国正式生效后，中泰两国贸易投资规模持续扩大。据介绍，RCEP投资承诺开放力度大、透明度高，生效实施后，将推动更多中国企业到泰国投资建厂，推动双边经贸合作向纵深发展。
泰国馆集团董事长李文莉博士表示，集团与广东开展密切合作已有十余年，持续打造供应链平台，将泰国产品引进中国。接下来集团将加强同广东在经贸、文化等各领域合作。“RCEP为进口政策给予了很大便利，同时广东本地政策优惠和良好的营商环境也给泰国企业更大的信心，带动泰企与粤企共同碰撞出火花。”作为从华南师范大学走出的博士，李文莉相信，未来广东与泰国两地企业将会持续深化经贸投资、复合型人才培养等方面的合作。
文、图 | 羊城晚报全媒体记者 潘亮 孙晶 实习生 陈磊
译 | 陈萱
