Thailand’s Economic Integration with Neighboring Countries and Possible Connectivity with South Asia
Chirathivat, Suthiphand; Cheewatrakoolpong, Kornkarun | April 2015
Abstract
Thailand’s increasing importance as a regional co-production base and as an intra-regional trade and border trade hub is due mainly to recent changes in its economic structure, namely, the lack of operational workers, rises in wages, and increases in outward foreign direct investment (FDI), together with a change of regional policies in Southeast Asia. As a result, improvements in physical connectivity, trade facilitation, energy cooperation, and financing infrastructure play an important role within an ongoing Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) framework. Extending connectivity to South Asia could also complement the current promotion of regional trade and regional production networks. This paper reviews the current stages of Thailand’s intra-regional trade, physical connectivity, trade facilitation, energy cooperation, and infrastructure funding as there are projects planned in these areas that could impact Thailand and its links to Southeast Asia and beyond to South Asia. However, Thailand’s political instability impedes the progress and implementation of such projects. The paper also examines the current financing mechanism of Thailand’s infrastructure projects that relies heavily on public spending. The authors propose strategies to promote Thailand’s physical infrastructure, trade facilitation, and energy cooperation with the mainland countries of Southeast Asia and South Asia.
Citation
Chirathivat, Suthiphand; Cheewatrakoolpong, Kornkarun. 2015. Thailand’s Economic Integration with Neighboring Countries and Possible Connectivity with South Asia. © Asian Development Bank Institute. http://hdl.handle.net/11540/9638.Keywords
Regionalism
Regional Economy
Regional Trading Arrangements
Regional Trade Integration
Regional Economic Integration
Regional Cooperation
Interregional Cooperation
Trade Disputes
Trade Barriers
Free Trade
Trade
Trade Agreements
Intraregional Trade
Government Policy
Regional Organization
Regional Plans
Economic integration
Regional Development Bank
Preferential tariffs
International negotiation
Protectionist measures
Access to markets
Economic agreements
International trade law
Regional integration
Trade relations
Exports
Economic integration
Distribution
Economic integration
Development Bank
Trade policy
Small Business
Regional economics
Regional planning
Regional disparities
Interregionalism
Regional economic disparities
Regional economic blocs
Industrial arbitration
Euro
Inflation
Business
Finance
Free trade
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Citable URI
http://hdl.handle.net/11540/9638Metadata
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