Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW
Vol. 5 Num 531 Thu. November 24, 2005  
   
Business


Thailand signs trade pacts with Singapore


Thailand and Singapore on Wednesday signed 10 pacts promising three billion baht (72.7 million dollars) in investment, aiming to increase business and tourism links between the two Southeast Asian nations.

"By 2010, or four years from now, trade and investment figures between Thailand and Singapore will double through the development of special incentive packages for Singapore-Thai joint ventures," Thai Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak told a news conference.

"This cooperation between the two countries has upgraded our economic partnership and it will help many countries in Asia to compete on a global scale," he said.

Nine of the deals covered private sector projects and the 10th a government project, agreed to at the second meeting of the Singapore-Thailand Enhanced Economic Relationship (STEER) in Bangkok.

Singapore is Thailand's second-biggest investor after the United States, with investments worth 600 million dollars last year.

Seven investment deals in the private sector cover information technology, software, electronics, auto parts, transportation and logistics.

The two countries also agreed to explore ways of creating a single tourist visa for both their nations and to attract one million tourists from China in the next three years.

The Stock Exchange of Thailand and the Monetary Authority of Singapore also signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly study ways of linking trade in derivatives, beginning with SET 50 index futures expected to be traded in 2006.