The Vice President,M. Hamid Ansari said that the economic and geo-political centre of gravity of the world has again shifted towards the Asia-Pacific, with the region showing unparalleled dynamism in economic, political, security and demographic terms. He was addressing the Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, today on the themes of culture, commerce and connectivity that linked India, Thailand and the larger ASEAN region.The Vice President said that ancient links of civilization, culture and commerce between India and Thailand give shared perceptions of the evolving commercial and political environment in the region and his visit underscores the importance India attaches to Thailand as part of increasing engagement with the region. He also said as the trade and investment between India and Thailand remains modest, there is a need to synergize efforts to enhance and diversify trade. We need to encourage our private sectors to make investments in infrastructure and manufacturing sectors in the each others’ country, he added.
The Vice President said that India places ASEAN at the core of the ‘Act East Policy’ and there is a special emphasis on India-ASEAN cooperation in domestic agenda on infrastructure, manufacturing, trade, skills, urban renewal, smart cities and Make in India programmes. Connectivity projects, cooperation in Science and Technology development and people-to-people exchanges are to be the springboard for regional integration and co-prosperity, he added.On Culture, the Vice President said that the spread of Buddhism from India is attributed to Emperor Ashoka, who sent Buddhist emissaries to Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. The Thai epic, Ramakien is based on the Ramayana and in modern times, many Indians migrated to South East Asia constitute a vibrant community and contributing actively to their respective countries of adoption.
On Commerce, the Vice President said that the India–ASEAN region has significantly outpaced many other regions of the world. With mutual trade and investment opportunities arising from the realization of the ASEAN Economic Community and India’s emphasis on ‘Make in India’, ‘Digital India’, ‘Skill India’ and ‘Smart Cities’ initiatives, we are confident that India-ASEAN commercial partnership will flourish, he added. He further said that India offers ASEAN the indigenously developed GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) services, which provides advanced navigation and location assistance and information facilities.On Connectivity, the Vice President said that ASEAN continues to be a strategic priority for India and efforts are being made to develop a coherent strategy, particularly for linking ASEAN with North East India. This is reflected in the India-Myanmar-Thailand Motor Vehicles Agreement and ASEAN-India Maritime Transport Cooperation Agreement. ASEAN-India Civil Aviation Task Force is expected to oversee optimization of air connectivity, he added.The Vice President said that India is ready to meet the expectations of our friends in the region and play a more pro-active role in the processes leading to the ASEAN Community.