Thailand-India to boost bilateral trade, investment

NEW DELHI, January 25 (TNA) - Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said Wednesday that Thailand plans to double trade and investment with India and to promote bilateral strategic partnership at a regional level, as her government is accelerating developing the country's effective and comprehensive post-flood water management systems. Yingluck, who is paying an official visit to India from January 24-26, was set to have bilateral talks with her Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh in New Delhi at 6:30pm Wednesday local time, during which both leaders were expected to explore ways to boost the Thai-Indian strategic partnership and to speed up the completion of the Thai-Indian Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to further strengthen bilateral economic cooperation. The Thai premier met leading Thai business persons in India earlier in the day, including the head of a South Asia committee of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, executives of the Charoen Pokphand (CP Group) and Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited, during which she inquired about business opportunities and obstacles in India and formed a small working group to gather the information for her government's further actions and solutions to the issues in order to realize Thailand’s target to double the value of annual trade and investment between Bangkok and New Delhi in the coming years. Premier Yingluck then attended a reception ceremony, as she and her entourage were welcomed by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and senior authorities, during which the Thai prime minister inspected guards of honor and paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, India's pre-eminent political and ideological leader during the Indian independence movement, at his memorial. The Thai prime minister later met Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krisna to discuss, among others, plans on streamlined visa applications to facilitate bilateral tourism and businesses and on the establishment of the Thai-India Foundation to further promote sound relations of Thai and Indian people. The visiting Thai premier also paid a courtesy call on Indian President Pratibha Patil when she expressed congratulations on the occasion of the Republic Day of India and gratitude for India’s assistance for flood victims in Thailand late last year. (TNA)