H.E. General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of Thailand will attend the 23rd APEC Economic Leaders Meeting in Manila, Republic of the Philippines, between 18 – 19 November 2015.

The Prime Minister will be participating in the APEC Economic Leaders Meeting for the second time.  The Philippines is the host of this year’s APEC Economic Leader’s Meeting, under the theme “Building Inclusive Economies, Building a Better World” with four main priorities: 1) Enhancing regional economic integration; 2) Fostering Small and Medium Enterprises’ participation in regional and global Markets; 3) Building sustainable and resilient communities; and, 4) Investing in human capital development.

The four main issues that Thailand will seek to promote are as follows.

1) Quality Growth and Structural Reform: Thailand believes in and supports APEC’s role to promote growth that is inclusive, balanced, sustainable and with good governance.

2) Regional Economic Integration: Thailand supports the Collaborative Study of the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific – FTAAP, in which we believe that the FTAAP should build on existing free trade agreements, especially the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Moreover, Thailand supports the adoption of APEC Services Cooperation Framework (ASCF) which will help promote transparency, equality, and inclusiveness in the service sector.

3) Capacity Building and the Fostering of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs): Thailand will actively contribute to the implementation of the Boracay Action Plan Agenda to Globalize MSMEs.

4) Sustainable and Resilient Community: Thailand attaches high importance to human capital development through the improvement of the education system and food security.  As one of the world’s largest food producers, Thailand stands ready to share its knowledge and expertise in the area of food production.  Thailand would also like APEC to consider taking a nexus approach to food, water and energy security.

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) was established in November 1989, with the initial goal of promoting free and open trade and investment.  Over the years, APEC’s agenda has expanded to include cooperation in other areas, such as agriculture, disaster risk reduction, promoting the roles of women and health.  APEC comprises 21 economies bordering the Pacific Ocean.