All the world’s a stage
Global issues such as the Russian-Ukraine war affected countries around the world, and Thailand, as the host of the Apec summit, was no exception,
1. Apec summit success
Thailand hosted the 29th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok from Nov 14-19, with a series of high-level meetings, discussions and events under the summit logo depicting a traditional wooden basket called a chalom.
The country hosted the summit under the theme “Open. Connect. Balance”. It aimed to boost trading and commerce among Apec members and included discussions on the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP). It also championed Thailand’s Bio-CircularGreen (BCG) economic model.
The summit was considered a success and resulted in three documents representing a consensus among economic members: the Bangkok Goals on Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) Economy, the 2022 Leaders’ Declaration, and 2022 Apec Joint Ministerial Statement.
Thailand, as this year’s host economy, had invited special guests, such as Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen as the chair of Asean, the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss how Apec and its trading partners can work together to promote sustainable trade and investment amid economic challenges.
However, the Cambodian prime minister could not attend the summit due to a Covid19 infection. China’s President Xi Jinping and his spouse Peng Liyuan also attended the summit.
US President Joe Biden was tied up after attending the G20 summit held in Indonesia. His vice president Kamala Harris represented him. Thailand passed the baton to the US as the host of next year’s Apec summit.
Even though the Apec summit went smoothly in the meeting room, anti-government protesters on Nov 18 staged protests on Din So Road near the Democracy Monument. Some protesters and journalists were injured during police crowd control efforts that day.
2. China sounds warning
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Thailand to attend the 29th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit was significant for strengthening relations between Thailand and China.
Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said Mr Xi’s visit also marked the 10th anniversary of the Thai-Chinese comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership this year.
The two countries are still looking forward to celebrating the 50th anniversary of Thailand-China diplomatic relations in 2025.
Mr Xi visited Bangkok for the first time in December 2011 when he was Vice President. On Nov 17 this year Mr Xi visited Bangkok as China’s President to attend Apec. He was accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan.
Before the Apec summit, Mr Xi warned against making the Asia-Pacific region an “arena for a big-power contest” and said China would promote development and cooperation in the region.
The Asia-Pacific region has been able to embark on a fast track towards modernisation and create an economic miracle after being freed from the shadow of the Cold War, Mr Xi said.
“The Asia-Pacific is no one’s backyard and should not become an arena for [a] big-power contest,” Mr Xi said. “No attempt to wage a new Cold War will ever be allowed by the people or by our times.”
On Nov 19, Mr Xi held talks with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at Government House. The two sides announced a consensus on building a China-Thailand community with a shared future for enhanced stability, prosperity and sustainability.
They also signed a joint action plan on Thai-Chinese Strategic cooperation between 2022 and 2026 and Thai-Chinese cooperation plan jointly promoting the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.
3. US a ‘reliable partner’
US Vice President Kamala Harris, who represented US President Joe Biden at the Apec summit last month, was able to affirm the US commitment to Southeast Asia and drive home the message that the region can count on the US.
Days earlier, US President Joe Biden attended a Southeast Asian summit in Cambodia and Group of 20 meeting in Indonesia.
Ms Harris and other Apec leaders discussed various topics including the RussiaUkraine war, soaring inflation, food and energy shortages. She was accompanied by her husband Douglas Emhoff.
During the summit, Ms Harris said the US would help strengthen economic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific Region and partner with the private sector.
She also had a bilateral meeting with Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha. Both sides committed to working closer in a wide range of areas such as clean energy and electric cars, medicine, defence and security.
At the summit on Nov 19, Ms Harris greeted Chinese President Xi Jinping. She noted the key message that US President Joe Biden emphasised when he met Mr Xi on Nov 14: “We must maintain open lines of communication to responsibly manage the competition between our countries.”
After the summit, Ms Harris visited Supreme Patriarch Somdet Phra Ariyavongsagatanana at Wat Ratchabopit to discuss how to achieve social harmony and sustainable development.
She represented the US president in receiving the chalom — this year’s Apec symbol — as part of a handover ceremony, as the host for next year’s event will be San Francisco.
Ms Harris also announced new initiatives to strengthen the US-Thailand alliance and supporting the Mekong Subregion.
Ms Harris pledged up to US$20 million (692.5 million baht) for the Japan-US Mekong Power Partnership (JUMPP) during a meeting with civil society leaders to help the subregion shift from hydroelectric power to alternative sources of clean energy.
Before leaving Thailand for the Philippines, she visited the Marketing Organisation for Farmers to buy red and green curry paste, dried tom yum herbs and a bunch of lemongrass.
4. Saudia Arabia ties heal
After 32 years of strained relations, Thailand and Saudi Arabia agreed in January to fully restore diplomatic relations.
The move came after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s official visit to Saudi Arabia on Jan 25, marking the first visit by a Thai official to the kingdom in three decades.
The two-day visit, which came at an invitation by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, aimed to normalise relations. Diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Thailand soured in 1989 following a theft by a Thai janitor working in a royal palace.
He stole around 90 kilogrammes of precious jewels, including a rare 50-carat Blue Diamond, which came to be known between the two countries as the Blue Diamond Affair.
The case took a tragic twist when four Saudi diplomats and a businessman were killed in assassination incidents in Thailand while searching for the jewels.
Police claimed to have solved the case and returned some of the jewels, but Riyadh said they were fake. Since then, the case has remained unsolved.
During Gen Prayut’s visit to Saudi Arabia, he expressed his deep condolences and said Thailand had done whatever it could to solve the cases.
In Riyadh, Gen Prayut and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed regional and international issues, and agreed to normalise diplomatic ties, especially the appointment of ambassadors to both countries.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the normalisation of diplomatic relations could enable them to support each other’s development goals, especially Thailand’s Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) model and the Saudi Vision 2030. It would also boost travel.
Various forms of cooperation are now taking root. They included trade and investment, agriculture, labour, energy travel and tourism especially the reintroduction of Bangkok-Jeddah flights from Aug 19.
At the Apec Summit, the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince witnessed the signing of five memoranda of understanding (MoUs) between Thailand and Saudi Arabia such as an MoU on the establishment of the Saudi Arabian-Thai Coordination Council and a MoU on cooperation in encouraging direct investment between the governments of Thailand and Saudi Arabia.
Both sides discussed opportunities to advance defence cooperation such as combatting transnational crime and terrorism.
5. Ukraine war twists and turns
The Russian invasion of Ukraine forced Thailand into some awkward foreign policy stances.
Russia’s invasion led to the 11th Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly at the UN headquarters on Feb 28. It urged Russia to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and urged Russia to withdraw.
Thailand joined 140 countries voting in favour of the resolution to condemn Russia’s invasion.
On April 7, the UN General Assembly voted on suspending Russia from the UN Human Rights Council after Russian troops murdered civilians in Bucha, Ukraine.
This time, Thailand was among 58 nations which abstained from the vote. It came under fire at home for failing to take a stand against Russia’s war, whichw as widely condemned around the world.
On Oct 12, Thailand was also one of 35 countries to abstain on a vote to condemn Russia’s annexation of four eastern regions of Ukraine.
Permanent representative of Thailand to the UN, Suriya Chindawongse, said Thailand holds international law and the UN charter as sacred but chose to abstain because of the volatile and charged atmosphere.
He said the resolution marginalised the chance for diplomacy to bring about a negotiated solution and may put the world at risk of nuclear war and affect the global economy.
Despite the decision, Thailand has provided humanitarian assistance to Ukraine. According to the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs approved a budget of 2 million baht for humanitarian assistance on March 11.
On June 7, the government donated another 500,000 baht through Unicef to support humanitarian assistance programmes for Ukrainian children. The Royal Thai Embassy in Poland had also helped Thais and those affected by the war.
Around 1,000 Ukrainians in Thailand were unable to fly back home due to the crisis, alongside some Russian tourists.