A Retrospect of 2023 and Looking Ahead to 2024:Reconciliation Between Conservatives And Reformists and Transformation of Thai National Development Path
Politically,Thailand formed a cross-camp coalition government in the 2023 general election and Puea Thai Party member Srettha Thavisin was elected as the 30th Prime Minister,resolving the cabinet formation crisis and promoting Thailand's democratic progress through the reconciliation between conservatives and reformists.However,the strong rise and expansion of opposition factions from the general electionhave turned Thailand's political pattern from a long-term opposition between conser-vatives and reformists to a"three-legged structure",bringing hidden worries to the political stability of Thailand;economically,the Thai government promoted"economic therapy".A series of measures,including"restarting tourism in Thailand",deferring farm-ers'loan repayments for a period of three years,reducing living costs,attracting foreign direct investments and tax breaks,were taken to stimulate economic growth.However,Thailand's economy grew less than expected owing to the"political vacuum"formed by the election,the contraction of export trade,the decline of the manufacturing index,the slowdown of the recovery of the service industry and other factors;diplomatically,Thailand upheld its tradition of"great power balance"diplomacy,restoring the alliance with the United States and seeking economic cooperation with American multinational companies.It also continued to develop a community of shared future with China,implemented proactive economic diplomacy to strengthen friendly coopera-tion with China,the United States,Japan and other countries and emerging economies in investment,trade,and sustainable devel-opment,relied on ASEAN to carry out regional cooperation,and played a constructive role in international affairs.2024 is the opening year for Thailand to embark on"incremental reforms"to boost economic growth and transform its development path,and further expand the development space of the green economy,digital economy,and new energy industries and so on.As Thai politics and diplomacy will serve the goal of economic growth,Thailand's potential for recovery and growth should not be under-estimated.
Thailand2023 Thai general electionreconciliation between conservatives and reformistseconomic therapynew energy vehicleSino-Thailand relations
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