Country Report: Thailand §

Class: IS208 Created Time: March 1, 2020 11:42 PM Database: Assignment Database Last Edited Time: June 11, 2021 11:20 AM Provided Materials: Guiding_Questions_for_country_report.docx Status: Done

Group Members: §

1. Chea Resan
2. Kong SreyNou
3. Huy Lyseang

Assigned Questions §

• What is your country’s gross domestic product (GDP)? How does this compare to other countries in the world?

• GDP figure in 2018 was $504,928 million

• Thailand ranked 25th in GDP of the 195 countries in the world

• When did your country become a member of ASEAN?

  Thailand was one of the five founding members of ASEAN starting the association on 8 August 1967.

• Does your country belong to any intergovernmental organizations such as UN?

• Thailand is an active member of the United Nations

• IAEA: International Atomic Energy Agency: serves as intergovernmental forum for managing nuclear technology and nuclear power.

  joined since it’s inception in 1957

• World Trade Organization (WTO): enforce trade rules and solve negotiation disputes. Same to most other trading states Thailand is part of the WTO.

• Does your country belong to any regional organizations besides ASEAN?

• Asia Cooperation Dialogue (2002): to help integrate and connect separate regional organizations

  Joined 18 June 2002

• Colombo Plan: created to help members to develop human resources

  created in 1951

  Joined in 1954

• Does your country belong to any trade organizations or agreements?

• ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA): is a trade agreement of ASEAN members to support local trade and manufacturing and to integrate with regional and international allies.
• the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC): economic forum to promote free trade around the Pacific Ocean
• Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP): Thailand is part of the proposed free trade agreement between 15 states which has not been signed yet.

APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, BIMSTEC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Script

South China Sea Dispute: Thailand Position §

Thailand §

Thailand as one of the member of ASEAN played a coordinating role in facilitating China and ASEAN members involved in the dispute in hope of reaching peaceful resolution. Despite its domestic political turmoil, the Thai government relied on its Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ expertise on international dispute. It took the initiative to hold several meetings with parties concerned. Thailand’s first attempt was hosting the ASEAN–China Senior Officials’ Meeting Retreat in Pattaya, Thailand 2012. Via this meeting, Wang Yi, the Chinese Foreign Minister called for a joint development of resources in South China Sea. Bangkok was viewed as an South China Sea neutral player because it is not a claimant and did not have disputes in the South China Sea with China. After several meetings, the 6th ASEAN–China SOM on DOC was the first official consultation on the Code of Conduct (COC) was formed with all parties agreement to push forward the drafting of COC. Thai-China relationship was generally seen as positive. Thailand’s neutral position enabled it to act as a mediator and influence discussions among parties involved.

The Code of Conduct (2017) §

The concept of a code of conduct was first raised in the 1990s; but it was not until 2002 at a gathering of foreign ministers from Asean countries and China in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, that a code of conduct was mandated by the non-binding China-Asean Declaration on Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea.

Scripts §

Thailand’s latest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) report was in 2018, putting Thailand’s economic value to 504,993 million USD. This put Thailand as the 26th largest economies among the 195 countries in the world and the 8th biggest economy in Asia. Thailand was one of the five founding members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the ASEAN Declaration which created ASEAN, was signed in Bangkok on 8th of August 1967. The country is active in many intergovernmental, regional, and trade organizations around the world. For starters, Thailand is an active participant in the United Nations, having served as both the president of the General Assembly, as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, and also has contributions to peacekeeping operations. Thailand is also part of the International Atomic Energy Agency since it’s inception, it aims to manage nuclear technology and nuclear power among nations. Similar to most trading nations, Thailand is apart of the World Trade Organization, which enforces trade rules and solve trade disputes. As for regional matters, Thailand is a member of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue, an organization that helps integrate and connect separate regional organizations in Asia, as well as the Colombo Plan, a regional organization seeking human resource development. Finally, Thailand is part of trade agreements such as the ASEAN Free Trade Area, aiming to support local trade and to integrate with regional and international allies. Thailand is also a member of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation that aims to promote free trade around the Pacific ocean. Lastly, Thailand is a part of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership or RCEP, however, it is just a proposed free trade agreement and has not been signed yet.

And this is a list of other organizations, agreements, agencies, and associations that Thailand participates in. As we can see, Thailand nowadays is trying to integrate and grow it’s economy.

References §

Code of Conduct: https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2105190/what-south-china-sea-code-conduct-and-why-does-it

Thailand as Country-Coordinator: https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep05846?seq=8#metadata_info_tab_contents

Involvements in IOs: https://imuna.org/resources/country-profiles/thailand/

GDP Statistics: https://countryeconomy.com/gdp/thailand

International and Foreign Relations: http://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Thailand/sub5_8f/entry-3294.html#:~:text=Thailand belongs to the following,ASEAN)%20and%20the%20ASEAN%20Regional

Free Trade Agreements: https://www.bilaterals.org/?-Thailand-#:~:text=Apart from the Thai-US,)%2C New Zealand (2005)%2C%20New%20Zealand%20(2005))