Thai-Philippine relations: PM Prayut meets President Duterte

22 มีนาคม 2560

For two fellow Asean countries that are only 3-hours apart by air, the state visit by President Duterte of the Philippines laid the groundwork for future cooperation.

ASEAN RELATIONS

Thai-Philippine relations: PM Prayut meets President Duterte

22/03/2017
Prangthong Jitcharoenkul

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte arrived in Thailand yesterday for a two-day visit.

Upon his arrival to Thailand he was welcomed by a military review, a common feature worldwide of state visits by a head of state.

Thailand is the last leg of his nine-country Asean tour and he is scheduled to return to Manila late Wednesday or Thursday.

This year it is the Philippines turn to assume the leadership of Asean.

Upon his arrival in Thailand, President Duterte is welcomed by a military review (Photo Source: AFP).

Tuesday President Duterte met with Prime Minister Prayut.

On Wednesday, Duterte is participating in a roundtable discussion with business executives and is also meeting with the Filipino community in Bangkok which consists of an estimated 16,000 Filipinos living, working and studying in Thailand.

Before arriving in Bangkok, Mr Duterte spent two days in Myanmar's capital, Nay Pyi Taw, from March 19-20. There he met State Counselor and de facto leader of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday and discussed the issue of Myanmar's conflict - riddled Rakhine State.

Philippine President Duterte meets & has discussions with de facto Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi (Photo Source: AFP)

DISCUSSIONS ON DEFENSE

General Prayut put defence and military cooperation with the Philippines at the top of his agenda Tuesday.

According to the Thai leader, the first meeting of the Joint Committee on Military Cooperation is expected to be held this year, possibly next month on the sidelines of the upcoming Asean Defence Senior Officials Meeting in the Philippines.

Other areas of bilateral cooperation discussed by Gen Prayut and Mr Duterte included cooperation between intelligence agencies to deal with the alarming growth of transnational crimes such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, piracy, cyber security and trade.

PM Prayut & President Duterte make a toast during the state visit (Photo Source: AFP)

COOPERATION IN TRADE, INVESTMENT, TOURISM & TECHNOLOGY

Three memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed between the Thailand and the Philippines on Tuesday, including bilateral cooperation on science and technology, tourism, and cooperation in dairy products.

Bangkok and Manila also agreed to adopt more proactive roles in the Joint Trade Committee (JTC) to boost their trade volume. The first JTC will be hosted by the Philippines this year, Gen Prayut said.

Trade volume between the two nations from January to November last year reached US$8.3 billion (289 billion baht), up 9.22% from 2015.

The Philippines is the fifth-largest trading partner of Thailand within Asean.

PHILIPPINE PURCHASE OF THAI RICE

"Starting from Dec 31 this year to Dec 31 2018, the Philippines has agreed to procure Thai white rice," Gen Prayut said without giving specific amounts.

Other areas of interest included investment in Special Economic Zones (SEZs), the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) of Thailand and the Philippine Economic Zone (PEZ).

"Thailand and the Philippines have the synergy to further deepen and expand their cooperation in areas of mutual interest and to work together to strengthen the Asean community as well as to cooperate on matters of mutual interest at both the regional and international level," Gen Prayut said.

PM Prayut & President Duterte in a traditional western handshake (Photo Source: AFP)

THE BIG PICTURE: PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

The two leaders also found time to update one another on their respective political developments during the bilateral talks, he added.

"I informed President Duterte on the progress of Thailand's implementation of national reform for stability, prosperity and sustainability under the 20-year National Strategy Plan and Thailand 4.0 policy, while the president briefed me on his country's development Plan 2017-2022," he said.

Gen Prayut described the more than six decades of diplomatic relations between the two nations as "excellent".

DISCUSSIONS ON CHINA & THE SOUTH-CHINA SEA

X Before his trip to Myanmar and Thailand, Mr Duterte said in Manila on Sunday his country was militarily inferior to China and therefore could not stop its actions in contested waters.

Beijing reportedly plans to construct an environmental monitoring station in a shoal claimed by Manila off the northwestern Philippines.

Thailand and the Philippines have agreed to emphasise freedom of navigation in the disputed South China Sea as a core value in securing peace and prosperity in the region.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte shared the same stance on the maritime territorial disputes in the area during a joint press conference at Government House Tuesday.

They also agreed to push for the completion of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).

"Maintaining peace, stability and security as well as respecting freedom of navigation and over-flight in the South China Sea are in the interests of all countries, within and outside the region, as they are fundamental conditions for growth, development and prosperity," Mr Duterte said...

...Meanwhile, Gen Prayut said Thailand believes the ultimate goal should be for the South China Sea to be the "sea of peace, stability and sustainable development" in order to benefit the region and its people.