Thailand as a Geo-Economic Corridor between South and Southeast Asia 

Wednesday, April 27, 2022, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm Indian Standard Time (IST) 

The Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) hosted the second Sambandh Policy Dialogue on regional connectivity. This was an online, private, and off-the-record forum for policy-makers and experts to informally exchange perspectives on connectivity and geo-economic relations between India, South, and Southeast Asia, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indo-Pacific regions.

We were honoured to host Amb. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand, and advisor to Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor Policy Committee as our guest speaker on Thailand as a Geo-Economic Corridor between South and Southeast Asia.

This took place online on Wednesday, April 27, from 3:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M Indian Standard Time (IST). We will be joined by CSEP Distinguished Fellow and former National Security Advisor of India, Amb. Shivshankar Menon who offered welcome remarks and helped us kick of the discussion.   

Thailand has assumed the chairmanship of BIMSTEC for 2022-23. It is also the new lead country for the Connectivity sector. During the recent BIMSTEC summit, Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha emphasised that Thailand aims to promote five areas of connectivity – land, marine, energy, digital, and people. Thailand’s connectivity agenda in BIMSTEC is also in line with its Look West policy, formulated in 1996, intended to place Thailand as a crucial link between South and Southeast Asia.   

For South Asian countries like India, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka, Thailand’s favourable geography in the Bay of Bengal makes it well placed to play a role as a bridge-builder between the Indian and Pacific oceans. Thailand aspires to become an economic corridor between the Indian subcontinent and the CMLV countries (Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam). Bangkok is pursuing this role through investments in rail, ports and multi-modal infrastructure connectivity linking the Gulf of Thailand to the Andaman Sea. Amb. Phuangketkeow will share his insights on these geoeconomic plans and Thailand’s perception of the regional environment in South and Southeast Asia.   

The Sambandh Policy Dialogue is held once a month and seeks to correct the knowledge gap between different countries and stakeholders invested in deepening regional cooperation and integration, mainly between South Asia and ASEAN countries. This is in line with India’s connectivity strategy under the Neighbourhood First and Act East policies to intensify ties with the rest of Asia. Topics to be addressed by our guest speakers include sectoral connectivity (from roads to rail, digital, and shipping), infrastructure financing, trade, economic and development partnerships; regional cooperation and institutions; and political and security developments affecting connectivity initiatives.    

All content reflects the individual views of the speakers. The Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) does not hold an institutional view on any subject.