BANGKOK: Thailand and Malaysia have set a target of $30 billion in bilateral trade by 2025 following a meeting between their leaders in Bangkok on Friday. The two leaders also hope to establish quarantine-free travel between their countries in the near future.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha hosted his Malaysian counterpart Ismail Sabri Yaakob on the latter’s first visit to Bangkok since taking office in August.
The leaders discussed economic cooperation, connectivity, and security issues along their shared border in southern Thailand.
“We agreed to keep the trade value target at $30 billion in 2025,” Chan o-cha said at a press conference.
Bilateral trade between Thailand and Malaysia is currently valued at around $24 billion, according to data from the Thai government. Thailand mainly exports refined petroleum and auto parts, while Malaysia mainly exports integrated circuits and crude petroleum.
Chan-o-cha and Yaakob also discussed reopening their borders to fully vaccinated travelers between the two countries “at the earliest opportunity” to help revive their economies.
“Soon, people who have been fully vaccinated (will be able to) travel between the two countries without quarantine,” Chan-o-cha said.
Malaysia has yet to decide on reopening its borders, while air travel to Thailand is now open to fully vaccinated visitors with entry rules having been further relaxed earlier this week.
“Thailand is now preparing to open its land border,” the Thai leader said, without specifying when that will happen.
Chan-o-Cha said they also discussed the situation in Thailand’s deep south, alluding to the insurgency in the predominantly Malay-speaking Muslim provinces in the majority Buddhist country.
“I have also explained the situation in the southern provinces of Thailand, and Malaysia supported Thailand’s (decision to seek) a peaceful solution through talks and negotiations,” Chan-o-Cha said.
Rebel groups have called for independence in areas bordering Malaysia, and more than 7,000 people have died since the insurgency began in 2004.
Malaysia facilitated formal peace talks in Kuala Lumpur in January between Thai officials and the area’s main rebel group, Barisan Revolusi Nasional, with discussions scheduled to resume next month.
Jaran Maluleem, a political-science professor from Thammasart University in Bangkok, described Thailand-Malaysia relations as “smooth,” pointing out that the two countries have never had a serious conflict.
Maluleem also said parties involved in the south Thailand peace talks have yet to come to an agreement on Malaysia’s role.
“The BRN asked Malaysia to join the talks (as one of the negotiators), but Thailand still insists that Malaysia remain a facilitator,” Maluleem told Arab News. “There has yet to be a clear direction from the Thai side … but Malaysia has continued to support the talks.”
