Bangladesh hopes to start direct coastal shipping ‘soon’ with Thailand in order to cut short the trade route as well as costs, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam said on Tuesday.
Flying routes between Bangladesh and Thailand takes only 2 hours, but coastal shipping between the two countries take 15-20 days as they have to go via Singapore and Colombo.
Negotiations are underway to connect the Chittagong Port in the Bay of Bengal with the Ranong Port in the East of the Andaman coast in south-western Thailand.
The state minster speaking at a panel in the ongoing Bangladesh expo in Bangkok on Tuesday said a Thai team recently visited Chittagong to check the port’s infrastructure.
“We’re hoping they’ll be able to establish the link soon,” he said, adding that Bangladesh was focused on establishing all sorts of connectivity with the Southeast Asian community, ASEAN.
Thailand is considered as a ‘gateway’ for the alliance.
Bangladesh also wants to sell its pharmaceutical products, ceramics and various jute products in Thailand and take investments in for energy, ICT and tourism sectors.
Different business sectors of Bangladesh have showcased businesses, culture and heritage to lure Thailand into taking a fresh look at the country during the three-day expo.
The expo was the first-of-its-kind initiative in 44 years of diplomatic relations.
The state minister said Bangladesh’s current strategy was to boost ‘physical connectivity’ to Southeast Asia.
“Bangladesh is an aspirant to join the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC) with a view to connecting trade routes from the Andaman Sea to Thailand to the South China Sea through land route between Thailand, Lao PDR, and Vietnam. With sustained and proactive engagement with two of our closet ASEAN neighbours, Myanmar and Thailand, Bangladesh believes it would be a logical next step to create Bangladesh’s connectivity to the EWEC,” the state minister said in the programme.
He mentioned that Thailand is Bangladesh’s close Bay of Bengal neighbour with whom ancient trading, cultural, religious and linguistic linkages and a common aspiration for regional and global peace, progress and prosperity is shared.
Shahriar Alam hoped that the direct shipping link will be established and the bilateral trade will be boosted as a result of it.
Bangladesh Ambassador to Thailand Saida Muna Tasneem was alongside the state minister at the panel and said even in 1200 years ago, there was “active” coastal shipping between the countries.
She said spices, betel leaves and many other products used to come from Bangladesh’s Narshingdhi to some of the ports in Thailand.
“We are trying to revive that link using Chittagong port,” she said, adding that Thailand is also focusing its Ranong port as a regional port for BIMSTEC grouping, countries along the Bay of Bengal.
The ambassador said introduction of the shipping route will lead to maximum 5 days of voyage, compared to the 15-20 days that is required now.
Source: Ittefaq
