Distinguished Participants,
Thailand was one of the five founding members of ASEAN. ASEAN was born in Thailand and Thailand has been very active during the past 45 years.
At present, ASEAN has become the number one trading partner of Thailand. 60-70% of Thai GDP is coming from exports. Therefore, Thai economy has been linked closely with ASEAN economy. If ASEAN is a country, ASEAN will have it’s economy among the top ten countries in the world. ASEAN’s GDP is more than 2 trillion US dollars. Asian Development Bank or ADB predicts that in 2030 ASEAN’s GDP will increase to around 7-8 trillion which will make ASEAN among the top five economies in the world. With this trend, we can predict that ASEAN will rise and emerge as a new global economic center, a new global economic power. Thailand will benefit a lot from being an ASEAN member.
Besides, ASEAN will become the most important multilateral forum and regional institution. Thailand is a small country. We cannot stand alone. We cannot live alone. It is very important for Thailand to join with other countries to form a group. And this is the main reason why Thailand has to be well prepared for the forthcoming establishment of ASEAN Community in 2015.