Introductory Remarks by Minister for Foreign Affairs at the IDSS Public Lecture Delivered by the Thai Foreign Minister on 17 July 2001

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND MINISTER FOR LAW, PROF S JAYAKUMAR, ON THE OCCASION OF THE IDSS PUBLIC LECTURE ENTITLED "TOWARDS AN ASIA COOPERATION DIALOGUE", DELIVERED BY THE THAI MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, HE DR SURAKIART SATHIRATHAI ON 17 JULY 2001 AT 9.30 AM AT THE SHANGRI-LA HOTEL

His Excellency Dr Surakiart, Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen

I am pleased to welcome Dr Surakiart Sathirathai, Foreign Minister of Thailand who is here on his first official visit to Singapore. Thailand and Singapore have a long history of excellent bilateral relations and I had very concrete discussions yesterday with Dr Surakiart on a wide range of issues. Singapore-Thailand relations are multi-faceted and are underpinned by significant economic co-operation, people-to-people and educational linkages and strong defence ties. Although he has a hectic programme, we are delighted that he has agreed to the invitation to give the IDSS Public Lecture this morning. Minister Surakiart has chosen to speak on a timely and important topic, "Towards an Asia Cooperation Dialogue".

Asia is a vast and diverse continent. Indeed, it is difficult to even define geographically where Asia begins and ends. In terms of diversity, Asia is like a colourful mosaic that comprises different physical environments, histories, cultures, religions and political systems. Yet, in spite of its vastness and diversity, the countries in Asia have long enjoyed close interactions with each other for centuries.

In the early days, maritime trade was the main engine driving these interactions. With trade came cultural and religious influences that have profoundly shaped many Asian countries. Nowhere is this more evident than in Southeast Asia, which lies astride the trade routes between China and Japan on the one hand, and India and the West on the other. A notable example would be the ancient Thai capital of Ayudhya, with its cosmopolitan population that included Arabs, Europeans, Chinese and Japanese. Together with Champa and Meleka, Ayudhya was one of the major Southeast Asian ports in the Asian trading system during the 14th and 15th centuries.

Today, the Internet has replaced the junks of yesteryears as one of the main vehicles for interaction. The communications and IT revolution has led to an explosion in trade and the movement of capital, people and ideas across boundaries. In an increasingly inter-connected and borderless world, Asian countries must continue to strengthen their linkages with each other. We must continue to find ways to enhance interaction and co-operation.

The 1997 economic crisis was instructive. It demonstrated the high degree of inter-dependence and inter-connectivity among the Asian economies. Four years later, even as the crisis appears to be bottoming out, the looming economic slowdown in the US and Japan has cast a pall of gloom over the region. This makes it all the more important for countries in the same region to work together to enhance their common interests and overcome common weaknesses.

In a way, this has already begun. Following the 1997 crisis, Northeast and Southeast Asia have grown closer and formed a sense of East Asian regionalism. ASEAN, for example, has led the way through the ASEAN+3 process where leaders of the 10 ASEAN countries hold annual summit level meetings with their counterparts from China, Japan and Korea. More recently, the 13 countries of Northeast and Southeast Asia agreed to a series of bilateral currency swap arrangements to help insulate the region from further financial crises. In addition, preliminary studies have begun on an East Asian community, and on a China-ASEAN FTA.

Since assuming office in February this year, Minister Surakiart has maintained a very hectic schedule of overseas visits that have taken him not only to ASEAN neighbours but also to major Asian countries such as China and India. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has also undertaken recent visits to neighbouring countries to promote greater regional co-operation in areas like tourism, development of transportation networks and agriculture.

Minister Surakiart has also proposed an Asia Cooperation Dialogue to build confidence and comfort levels within a diverse Asia. We look forward to hearing more about this interesting idea.

Minister Surakiart is a man of impressive credentials. Let me briefly highlight some of them. Before entering politics, Minister Surakiart enjoyed a distinguished career in academia, having published extensively on international economic law and serving as one of the youngest Deans of the Law Faculty of Chulalongkorn University. Minister Surakiart''s considerable experience in Government included being Finance Minister and an advisor to PM Chatichai. Given his background in international economic law and his experience in government, I am certain that we can all look forward to an interesting and stimulating session.

It is now my pleasure to invite Minister Surakiart to take the floor and share with us his vision of an Asia Cooperation Dialogue.