Japan minister encourages joint green actions with Thailand at Tokyo meeting with PM
In Tokyo on Friday, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin discussed expanding economic cooperation between the two countries especially in electric vehicle (EV) and clean energy industries with the Japanese government.
Srettha, who also holds the finance portfolio, met with Ken Saito, Japan’s new Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo.
The bilateral talk was part of the Commemorative Summit for the 50th Year of Asean-Japan Friendship and Cooperation being held in Tokyo through to Monday (December 13-16).
The parties discussed future cooperation in automotive industries during the talk, according to government spokesperson Chai Wacharonke. The Thai PM reaffirmed the government’s support for Japanese automakers in Thailand in transitioning from polluting internal combustion engines to electric vehicle, as well as ensuring their competitiveness against other foreign manufacturers.
Meanwhile, Saito vowed to increase Japan-Thailand cooperation under the Asia Zero-Emission Community (AZEC) initiative, which aims to promote the use of clean energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Japanese minister also proposed an “energy and industrial dialogue” to jointly develop green energy sources in Thailand to strengthen the region’s energy stability.
Srettha took this opportunity to invite the Japanese government to invest in the proposed land bridge to connect the Andaman seacoast to the Gulf of Thailand. The project, currently valued at 1 trillion baht (US$ 28.6 billion), is intended to relieve shipping congestion in the Malacca Straits and maximise logistics capability in the region.
