1. Thailand beyond Phuket & PadThai Mr. Kitirat Panupong First Secretary, Royal Thai Embassy, Canberra Guest Speaker at The Rotary Club of Canberra Burley Griffin 7 June 2012

2. “Asia’s where the action is, so wake up Australia!” Matt Wade (SMH Easter Weekend Edition 2011): “Several Asian economies that now receive passing attention in Australia will become major economic players. By 2050, some forecasts say, the six biggest members of ASEAN – Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – will have a similar share of the global output to Europe’s big four – Germany, France, Italy and Britain.”

3. Why is Thailand important to Australia?

4. Thailand = regional / geographical hub 4

5. Diplomatic Relations The diplomatic relations between Thailand & Australia were established on 19 Dec 1952 => 60 th Anniversary in 2012 The Royal Thai Embassy in Canberra The Royal Thai Consulate General in Sydney 4 Honorary Consulate Generals in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Hobart and 1 Honorary Consulate in Perth The Australian Embassy in Bangkok (5th largest in the world)

6. Australia-Thailand Security Cooperation Thailand is the biggest international partner of Australian Federal Police (AFP) – Bomb Data Centre Australia is Thailand’s second largest partner in military cooperation Australia-Thailand Regional Security Dialogue (annually, since 1998) Close partnership in various regional / multilateral fora: – East Asian Summit (EAS) / ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) – Bali Process (people smuggling and trafficking) – Counter-international terrorism – Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism 6

7. Economic Relations Australia is Thailand’s first comprehensive bilateral FTA partner Thailand is 1 of 5 countries with bilateral FTA with Australia (New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, USA, and Chile) According to a survey by the Australian Industry Group in 2010, TAFTA was ranked as the most beneficial FTA through the eyes of Australian businesspeople.

8. Trade Statistics (Million USD) 20062007 2008200920102011 Value of Trade 7,944.6810,333.6813,147.2812,404.1015,277.6215,942.23 Thailand's Export to Australia 4,722.646,629.497,982.578,578.639,369.477,997.08 Thailand's Imports from Australia 3,222.043,704.195,164.723,825.475,908.157,945.15 Trade Balance: Surplus for TH 1,500.602,925.312,817.854,753.163,461.3351.93 Since TAFTA’s enter into force (2005), bilateral trade volumes have increased continuously/significantly. In 2011, Australia was Thailand’s # 6 largest trading partner while Thailand was Australia’s # 9 largest trading partner.

9. 9 ที่มา : Trade at a glance 2011, Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade

10. 10 ที่มา : Trade at a glance 2011, Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade

11. Key Trade Merchandises Key imports from Thailand to Australia: o Gold & jewellery o Automobiles incl. light trucks & parts o Heating and cooling equipments & parts o Computers & parts o Processed seafood Key imports from Australia to Thailand o Gold / Precious Stones o Aluminium / Copper o Coal / Crude oil o Iron / Steel o Pharmaceutical products o Wheat / cereals o Wine !!!

12. Australian Investment Projects (1997-2009) Total number of projects approved by Thailand’s Board Of Investment (BOI) was 147 projects valued at 1 billion AUD (approx.)

13. Key Australian Investors in Thailand and LinFox, Kingsgate, PanAust, etc.

14. Thailand’s Investment priorities Thailand welcomes Australian investment particularly in the following sectors: Renewable energy, Bio-technology, Automotives / parts, Logistics, etc. Thailand’s outbound investment strategy focuses on the following sectors: processed food, mining, construction, tourism-related industry including hotels, etc

15. Thai Investment in Australia Increasing trend of Thai investment in Australia: – PTTEP Australasia (oil & gas) – Banpu’s investment on Centennial Coal – Ratchaburi Holding’s investment on electricity generation plant (coal, wind and solar) – Mitrpol’s investment on Maryborough Sugar Plant – Minor Group: Oak service apartment / Coffee Club – Carry Boy (customized utility vehicle / light truck) – Siam Steel International Total value of Thai investment in Australia is 2-3 times more than Australian investment in Thailand.

16. Total number of Thai Expats / Thai restaurant in Australia State# of Thai Expats# of Thai Restaurant New South Wales25,0001,000 Victoria18,000400 Queensland8,000360 South Australia5,00085 Tasmania50015 Western Australia10,000100 ACT70040 Northern Territory1,00010 Total (Approx.)65,0002,100

17. International Students in Australia Australia was #1 destination for Thai students studying abroad, but strong AUD !!! Thai students in Australia ranked #6 in 2010 with 22,414 students, barely surpassed by Vietnam / Malaysia. 2010 156,193 93,386 31’427 22,414 20,103

18. Thailand’s Position in ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) = 10 countries, with total population of almost 600 million people and total GDP of 1 trillion USD Thailand = regional / transportation hub, linking Indochina, southern China and South Asia (India) with the rest of southeast Asia Thailand = ASEAN’s regional HQ for various IOs and MNCs

19. Thailand’s central position in ASEAN 19

20. Dawai: Myanmar’s new deep sea port

21. Singapore-Kunming Rail Link

22. Toward ASEAN Community in 2015 Blueprints for – ASEAN Political Community – ASEAN Economic Community – ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community

23. ASEAN Political Community ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Defence Law Transnational Crime

24. ASEAN Economic Community ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) Energy Food, Agriculture & Forestry Finance Investment Minerals Mekong Basin Development Cooperation Transport Telecommunication & IT Tourism 24

25. ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Culture & Arts Disaster Management Education Environment Haze Health Information Labour Rural Development & Poverty Eradication Science & Technology Social Welfare & Development Women Youth

26. Australia ASEAN’s oldest Dialogue Partner An active member of ARF ASEAN-Aus-NZ FTA Expansion of EAS to include the US and Russia = Asia Pacific Community (APC) ? – Hoped to become a forum for leaders of all key players in the region to discuss global / relevant issues – Opportunity for Australia to push for further discussion on political and security matters, such as Maritime Security, Non-Proliferation, Disaster Management, Trans-National Crime, Terrorism, Climate Change, etc.

27. Official Visit to Australia by H.E. Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra, Thai PM 26-29 May 2012 Friendly and wide range of topic discussion PM accompanied by 4 Ministers (Foreign Affairs, Commerce, Education, and Industry) PM accompanied by 70 business delegation 2 MOUs signed: – Education – Young Political Exchange

28. Official Visit to Australia by H.E. Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra, Thai PM 26-29 May 2012 Strategic economic / business partnership – Agriculture / Food industries (Food Security) – Energy (Energy Security) – Automotive and parts – Tourism / hospitality & related services – Logistics Strengthen people-to-people interaction and understanding – Education: esp. promote Australians to study in Thailand – Strengthen Thai communities in Australia

29. Conclusion Australia’s “Asia Literacy” will need to expand beyond China, Japan, and Indonesia, but to include ASEAN as a whole. Australia’s preparation / repositioning to take advantage of the ASEAN Community ??? Thailand as Australia’s key ally and strategic partner !!! A need for Thai Studies in Australia.

30. Q & A For further information, including the results of the recent official visit: http://canberra.thaiembassy.org/ Thank you very much !!!