Free trade deals should be a 'top priority' for Asia: Thai PM Srettha

TOKYO -- Free trade is vital to boosting investment in Asia, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said Friday as he continued his global push to attract capital to his country.

"FTA negotiations should be a top priority," Srettha said in his keynote address on the second day of Nikkei's Future of Asia forum.

Thailand has 15 FTAs with 19 countries, and negotiations on seven more are underway, including with the European Union, he said.

A property tycoon, Srettha has traveled widely since taking office last year to drum up trade and investment for Thailand. Before arriving in Tokyo for the forum, he visited France and Italy.

"We in Asia should continue to support the multilateral trading system, with the WTO [World Trade Organization] at its core," he said.

He touted the success of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership -- the world's biggest free trade pact in terms of economic size -- which brings together ASEAN members and partners including Japan and China.

Noting that Thailand had submitted a letter of intent to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development group of mostly Western advanced economies, Srettha said: "We are determined to build the business ecosystem and enhance our global competitiveness for investment."

The green transition and digitization area also key elements for the regional cooperation, he said. Thailand seeks more investment in green hydrogen and CCUS technology, as well as to expand carbon credit markets, he said.

Srettha referred to the region's conflicts and geopolitical flashpoints of Myanmar, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. He said Southeast Asian countries "try to maintain ASEAN centrality and relevance," and that "Asia is the equilibrium" amid superpower