00:00Even as we sit here in New York, the focus is actually on Washington, D.C., the meeting between President
00:07Trump and Xi Jinping.
00:09I'm just wondering what your take is on the status of relationship between the two most powerful countries,
00:16because there are repercussions when it comes to the rest of the world.
00:20Well, definitely, you know, the relations between the United States and China is a very consequential relationship,
00:27and it has bearing on the course of events in our region, and we're following, you know, what's happening closely.
00:37But I think the good thing is that they're meeting.
00:41We don't know actually what was discussed, but, you know, it seems that having, you know,
00:48this is the second time they're meeting, you know, and this previously was in Beijing, now in Washington.
00:56And, of course, President Trump went there to personally welcome President Xi Jinping at the airport,
01:05and it's a good sign.
01:06And I think they're making efforts to bring some stability to the relationship,
01:14and it's a very important relationship, as I said.
01:19And, you know, one or two meetings will not solve everything.
01:26But we welcome efforts to stabilize the relationship, and, you know, there will be differences,
01:35but trying to manage the differences is important.
01:39It could be stability or it could be just uptakes.
01:42I'm just wondering, for a country like Thailand, it's maintained that it wants to be neutral,
01:47not having to pick sides, but staying neutral is increasingly difficult these days.
01:53Well, not taking sides, yes, but maybe not being neutral.
01:58You know, being neutral means not taking positions, right?
02:02So we do have to take positions.
02:05Even though sometimes it might be difficult.
02:07We have to take positions that we believe is correct, we believe is right,
02:13positions that are consistent with the principles, consistent with our interests.
02:18So it's being neutral does not mean not taking position.
02:23But definitely we don't want to take side.
02:26And this has been our position all along.
02:30But sometimes it's difficult.
02:32You know, we have to navigate carefully, and we have to calibrate our position carefully.
02:40In the current environment, trade has been weaponized,
02:43and we know that Thailand is in conversation with the U.S. when it comes to tariffs.
02:48It currently faces 12.5% tariff.
02:51Are you confident that it will stay that way, or where are negotiations in terms of bringing it down?
02:57First of all, we don't believe, you know, we believe that trade should not be weaponized.
03:03We believe in the multilateral trading system, the rules-based trading system.
03:11But, of course, it's not up to us all the time, right?
03:16We are not a superpower, and we negotiate.
03:21We try to strike the best deal.
03:24We try to accommodate where we can.
03:27But we have to stick to, on certain issues, perhaps, you know,
03:32we have to take, you know, a position that we believe is consistent,
03:36not just with our interest, but with the mutual, consistent with the mutual interest of both sides,
03:43meaning Thailand and the United States.
03:45But we are, right now, in serious discussion with the United States on the issue of tariffs,
03:52on the issue of the reciprocal trade agreement,
03:56and we're hoping that we're getting there.
03:59But it takes accommodation on both sides, you know,
04:02even though, of course, we're not a major power like the United States,
04:07but we are engaging in negotiating in good trade,
04:10and we do have something to offer.
04:12What is the key issue standing in the way?
04:14Well, the key issues are basically market access,
04:17and I think that's the key issue,
04:22ensuring, you know, that American firms are given best treatment
04:27when they want to invest in Thailand.
04:30And we understand, and, you know, we are trying to work out, you know,
04:34something that, you know, that we can,
04:38we think that it should be in the mutual interest of both sides.
04:42And we're doing our best, definitely.
04:43And as I mentioned, we are in the negotiation in good faith,
04:48but it takes, you know, requires give and take on both sides.
04:53When it comes to Thailand, there's also concerns over the overlapping claims
04:58in the Gulf of Thailand with Cambodia.
05:01Talks are happening right now.
05:02Where are you with that, and how confident are you about a resolution?
05:06Well, you know, we had thought that with regard to the maritime boundary,
05:14the issue of the overlapping claims,
05:16we thought that we could have tried to solve it bilaterally.
05:23And then if we cannot succeed bilaterally,
05:26then we go through this process under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,
05:33which is a process called compulsory conciliation.
05:37But now that we're in this process,
05:41Thailand is, you know, ready to fully participate in good faith again.
05:49But our position is that we should do the delimitation of the maritime boundary first.
05:56After that, we can talk about the sharing of resources.
06:00So that's been our position in entering into this process of compulsory conciliation.
06:06Realistically, though, what is the best-case scenario?
06:09And how important is this?
06:11Because, you know, there have been some suggestions of the resources found in the Gulf of Thailand,
06:18gas and oil, you know, in access of $300 billion.
06:23Well, the best-case scenario is trying to find a solution
06:28as we proceed in this process of compulsory conciliation,
06:33solution that we, you know, that eventually will lead us down the path of bilateral negotiations.
06:40Perhaps we don't need to, you know, complete the entire process, which should last a year.
06:46If we move forward in this process, we will have to have bilateral talks in this process.
06:51And perhaps we'll see our way clearer, you know, through some kind of bilateral talks
06:58that we can find mutual accommodation, a mutually acceptable agreement,
07:06even before we complete the process.
07:08That could be possible.
07:09You know, Thailand is open to all options, you know.
07:12I think the thing is that, you know, we are two neighboring countries.
07:16Eventually, we have to live together.
07:18We have to find ways of managing our differences.
07:22And that has been Thailand's position all along.
07:26Minister, we're currently seeing shifting alliances, even unconventional alliances,
07:33how Vandalaian invited Canada to be an associate member of Europe.
07:41How do you see Asian nations navigating the current environment?
07:47The middle policy.
07:48Well, definitely, you know, we need friends.
07:50We need partners, friends, partners who, you know, share common platform, common interests.
07:58And for us, you know, we are working within the region to strengthen, first of all, ASEAN.
08:06ASEAN is our main platform, and, you know, and we believe that, you know,
08:11the unity of ASEAN is very important.
08:14It enables us to deal with all these uncertainties in the world from a better position.
08:22And definitely, you know, nowadays, that multilateralism doesn't seem to be working
08:28as, you know, we had thought, you know, the UN.
08:32And...
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