On 22 April 2022, the Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, organized the 3^rd APEC Media Focus Group at the Eastern Economic Corridor of Innovation (EECi), Wangchan district, Rayong province for both Thai and foreign media, to share Thailand’s vision and potential as APEC host economy this year, to introduce and apply the BCG economy model as an approach to driving post-COVID economic recovery.

The event commenced with a dialogue on “Advancing Sustainability Initiatives in the EEC: Achieving a BCG and Net-Zero Carbon Reality” and welcome remarks by Mr. Tanee Sangrat, Director-General of the Department of Information and Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, who underlined the main objective of the 3^rd AMF.  Mr. Cherdchai Chaivaivid, Director-General of the Department of International Economic Affairs and APEC Senior Official of Thailand, linked Thailand’s objectives and key deliverables for APEC 2022 “Open. Connect. Balance.” with existing EEC initiatives. The BCG Economy is the overarching thinking behind this year’s theme, and the EEC exemplifies an ecosystem that supports the BCG economy model with the Blueprint for smart and green cities.

Dr. Kanit Sangsubhan, Secretary-General of the Office of the Eastern Economic Corridor, shared details on the application of the BCG economy model in the EEC advancing a set of targets to achieve net zero carbon emissions, 30 per cent energy usage derived from renewable energy, a shift in the mode of transportation from road  to rail system, and investments in solar energy.  He also introduced efforts to create an “EEC Smart Livable City” linking Bangkok to EEC areas via high-speed train, set to become one of the Top 10 Smart Cities in the world by 2037.  Mr. Surachai Laophulsuk, Executive Vice President, PTT & Director of EECi Project, elaborated on the blueprint of a Smart City in the EEC and the establishment of an ecosystem for innovation. Other speakers expounded on others salient BCG ideas being implemented in the EECi and the EEC including the importance of biotechnology in enhancing sustainability efforts in Thailand, ranked 16^th globally in richness of biodiversity, the “Rayong Model” with a waste management project aimed at converting waste into energy through affordable service fees, and the  C-ROS project to manage organic waste comprising 50 per cent of all waste whose success is attributable to strong community participation, resulting in significant reduction of CO2 emissions.

The 3^rd AMF participants also visited areas in the EECi, which provided an opportunity to access firsthand information, follow-up on key developments as well as projects and initiatives such as those within the BIOPOLIS, namely, current efforts at the development of a Biorefinery, a joint investment project between the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) and Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant (BBEPP) which will create the infrastructure to process biomass, turning low-value agricultural waste into high-value extracts earmarked for the biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, food supplement and cosmetic industries. The project is expected to be up and running by early 2024. The participants also visited smart greenhouses housing experiments on medicinal plants in a controlled environment to be implemented at Smart Farming Demo Sites throughout the 3 provinces in the EEC.