Showing 1 - 10 of 11
Thailand's response to global trends
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 13/08/2024
» Understanding Thailand's approach to evolving international orders requires examining its decisions. These decisions by recent and current governments offer a clear view of the country's diplomatic trajectory in an increasingly uncertain world.
Thai-EU free trade deal on the horizon
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 17/04/2024
» If everything goes as planned, Thailand and the EU could sign a free trade agreement by mid-next year, in what is another example of the European Union's increasing engagement in the Indo-Pacific region.
Can Thai passports' power get a lift?
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 19/09/2023
» At the first cabinet meeting last week, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin announced one of the government's priorities -- improving the power of Thai passports. It is a headline goal that will require extraordinary efforts to achieve. Upgrading a national passport to a higher level involves numerous factors -- economic, socio-cultural, and political -- as well as the general optics of the partnership countries. After all, the large number of visitors to a country is not an indicator of how powerful its passport is. A country might be given more visa-free accessibility and be popular for foreign passports, but its own passport's power can still be low.
Vietnam's 'bamboo' foreign policy clout
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 25/04/2023
» Vietnam is the only Southeast Asian country at this critical moment to be facing a major challenge as it attempts to juggle the three great powers -- China, Russia, and the US -- simultaneously. It is as if Hanoi is keeping a dagger, a bomb, and a gun in perpetual mid-air flight to ensure the tripartite relations will not crash along the way. It is bamboo diplomacy Vietnamese style, at its very best in keeping these extraordinary allies and friends at bay. In recent years, the bamboo policy description has been widely used due to the country's distinctive diplomacy.
Remembering Abe and Japan's rise
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 12/07/2022
» It is not an overstatement to say that the late prime minister Shinzo Abe single-handedly promoted Japan's regional and international profile through unconventional economic and security policies. Abe linked his country's economic policies with security and strategic twists in its relations with the rest of the world, Asean in particular.
Learn from past visa-waiver mishap
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 27/08/2019
» In September 2003, the Thai government undertook the most incredible step by signing a visa-waiver agreement with Russia. No other Asean country had dared to do that before.
China's BRI push marred by trust deficit
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 02/04/2019
» As China's economic and political clout grows by the day, Europe finds it increasingly difficult to develop an overall approach with dual objectives -- one that does not undermine its unity or upset its ally across the Atlantic, the US. Some European Union members want to take a tougher stand against China due to its limited market access, while others are concerned about possible security threats posed by China's sophisticated 5G network.
New mindsets needed at Suvarnabhumi
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 04/09/2018
» Warning: Cheap packages tours to Thailand from China for the coming Mid-Autumn Festival (third week of September) and National Day (first week of October) are nearly fully booked. However, some major tourist agencies in the posh Chaoyangmenwai Street still hold out hope that Thailand will waive visa fees for their holidaymakers once again.
Trump-Kim meet a gift for Southeast Asia
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 19/06/2018
» All the hullabaloo surrounding the historic Trump-Kim summit in Singapore must be discarded if one wants to seriously assess the overall ripple effects, in particular, the four-point statement. For the region, at least for now, the tight knot of a nuclear war has been untied. After all, President Donald Trump gave his personal assurance of this after he returned to the United States from his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. That is good for Southeast Asia as a whole. If there is a war, the region's progress would be badly undermined as much as, if not more, than those of the two protagonists. The US provides a marketplace and the Korean Peninsula remains the last stronghold of long-awaited peace and stability.
Thailand revitalising Acmecs scheme
News, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 12/06/2018
» Renewed schemes for the region's three great rivers -- under the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (Acmecs) -- are making a comeback after some soul-searching amid a plethora of connectivity plans. Bangkok will host the 8th Acmecs summit this Friday and Saturday.