Taiwanese and Thai officials on Wednesday touted a potential for greater collaboration between the two countries on the manufacture of electric vehicles and the creation of a green economy at the opening of the annual Taiwan Expo in Thailand.
Bureau of Foreign Trade Deputy Director-General Lee Guann-jyh (李冠志) said during the virtual event that the two countries were already in tandem on some important matters, as indicated by the similarities between Taiwan’s “five plus two” innovative industries plan and Thailand’s Bio-Circular-Green economic model.
Both programs emphasize the use of green energy and seek to create a circular economy, Lee said.
The expo is being held in a hybrid format, with a physical site located at Siam Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok.
Trade between Taiwan and Thailand last year overcame the COVID-19 pandemic, rising to a historic high of US$12.98 billion and reflecting a close-knit industrial chain in which many sectors complement each other, Lee said.
Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA, 外貿協會) chairman James Huang (黃志芳) said that Taiwan is hoping for further collaboration with Thailand in the electric vehicle industry in particular.
The two sides share a goal of upgrading automobile manufacturing facilities, Huang said, adding that Taiwan aims to help Thailand boost its electric vehicle output to 30 percent of global automobile production by 2030.
Thailand Trade and Economic Office Deputy Director Sunh Arunrugstichai said that ties between his country and Taiwan have grown in the past few years, as evidenced by the number of Thai and Taiwanese nationals living in each other’s countries.
Arunrugstichai said that he hopes the expo would open up new possibilities for cooperation in science, industrial development and environmental sustainability.
This year’s expo, postponed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, features “smart” medical services and manufacturing, low-carbon economies, domestic demand and consumption, and culture and tourism.
The expo features 11 pavilions at Siam Paragon shopping mall, TAITRA said.
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