Thai-Mongolian Relations: Business & military cooperation

Three day visit by PM Yingluck focuses on trade & investment in biotech, food, pharma, electronics & computers. Mongolia also wants to join Thai-US Cobra Gold military exercises.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra pays respect to a statue of Genghis Khan as she starts a three-day official visit to Mongolia yesterday (Photo courtesy of government house).

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FOREIGN RELATIONS

Mongolia Mission

PM signs three trade MoUs
29 Apr 2013
Wassana Nanuam

A portrait of Genghis Khan, the great warrior and founder of the Mongol Empire (Source: Wikipedia)

Thailand has signed three agreements with Mongolia aimed at boosting trade and investment between the two countries, while also offering support for Mongolia to join the Cobra Gold military exercises.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra kicked off her three-day official visit to Mongolia yesterday.

She is the first Thai leader to visit the landlocked country that spreads across parts of Central and East Asia.

Ms Yingluck and her Mongolian counterpart Norovyn Altankhuyag signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to set up a dialogue aimed at increasing trade and investment cooperation

Another MoU involved building cooperation between Mongolia's Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Thailand's Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking.
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The agreements aim to increase economic cooperation and ease investment conditions between the countries.

The leaders also signed an agreement to boost cooperation on science and technology including biotechnology, food, pharmaceuticals, electronics and computers.

The leaders held a discussion in full chamber at Mongolia's State Palace in the capital Ulan Bator before signing the MoUs.

Mr Altankhuyag said Ms Yingluck's visit will help to foster closer ties.

Prime Minister's Office secretary-general, Suranand Vejjajiva, said Thailand supported Mongolia's willingness to fully participate in the Cobra Gold multinational military exercise in Thailand, pending the support of other participants.

Mongolia takes part in Cobra Gold as an observer.

Mr Suranand said the government is also ready to sign the Agreement for the Promotion and Protection of Investment with Mongolia. The deal would double trade between the two nations within the next three years, he said. Two-way trade last year with Mongolia was worth US$13.69 million (400 million baht).

(Source: Bangkok Post, Foreign Relations, MONGOLIA MISSION, PM signs three trade MoUs, 29 Apr 2013, Wassana Nanuam, link) 

 
Foreign Relations Vocabulary

Mongolia - "a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It borders Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest city, is home to about 45% of the population. Mongolia's political system is a parliamentary republic" (See Wikipedia)

landlocked - of a place that has land all around it, usually with no connection to the sea or, in this case, to a road ที่ล้อมรอบไปด้วยแผ่นดิน
landlocked country

Economy of Mongolia - "traditionally based on agriculture and the breeding of livestock. Mongolia also has extensive mineral deposits: copper, coal, molybdenum, tin, tungsten, and gold account for a large part of industrial production" (See Wikipedia)

Genghis Khan -  (1162? - 1227), born Temujin, was the founder and Great Khan (emperor) of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest empire in history after his death: "He came to power by uniting many of the nomadic tribes of northeast Asia. ... he started the Mongol invasions that resulted in the conquest of most of Eurasia. ... By the end of his life, the Mongol Empire occupied a substantial portion of Central Asia and China"; his life and empire is the subject of best-selling novels by Conn Iggulden (See Wikipedia)

foreign relations - the management of relations between a government of a country and other countries (See Wikipedia)

military exercise - war games, military training that tries to create a realistic warfare and battle situation using actual soldiers and military equipment (See Wikipedia)

Cobra Gold military exercises - annual military exercises exercises held in Thailand with soldiers typically from the U.S., Japan, Singapore and Indonesia, "the largest such exercise in south-east Asia, plays an important part in ensuring ongoing peace and stability across the region" (See Wikipedia & Thai Wikipedia)

multinational - involving many countries
the Cobra Gold multinational military exercise in Thailand

respect -  เคารพ,  นับถือ
pay respect to 

statue - รูปปั้น, รูปหล่อ, รูปแกะสลัก
statue of Genghis Khan

Prime Minister pays respect to a statue of Genghis Khan

official - approved by the government or some authority ที่เป็นทางการ
official visit - when
starts a three-day official visit to Mongolia 

mission - travaling to a place to do some official business for the government กิจธุระ, หน้าที่การงานที่พึงกระทำ
Mongolia mission

PM signs three trade MoUs

sign agreement

trade - the buying and selling of goods การค้าขาย
trade MoUs
sign trade MoUs

investment - taking your money and putting it into projects to make a profit or earn interest (buying stock shares, bonds, real estate)

boosting - increasing เพิ่ม
boosting trade and investment

support - help สนับสนุน
offering support for Mongolia to join the Cobra Gold military exercises

Thailand has signed three agreements with Mongolia aimed at boosting trade and investment between the two countries, while also offering support for Mongolia to join the Cobra Gold military exercises.

kick off - start, begin
kicked off her three-day official visit to Mongolia
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra kicked off her three-day official visit to Mongolia yesterday.

She is the first Thai leader to visit the landlocked country that spreads across parts of Central and East Asia.

counterpart - someone who has the same job or purpose as another person, but in a different country, time, situation or organisation ฝ่ายตรงข้าม หรือคนที่อยู่ในตำแหน่งเดียวกันของอีกประเทศ หรือ กลุ่มหนึ่ง

Ms Yingluck and her Mongolian counterpart Norovyn Altankhuyag

cooperation - work together towards a goal ความร่วมมือกัน
cooperation between Mongolia and Thailand
cooperation on science and technology
trade and investment cooperation

dialogue - formal talks between opposing countries, political groups, etc. การสนทนา, การอภิปราย
set up a dialogue aimed at increasing trade and investment cooperation

memorandum - an informal legal agreement ข้อตกลง
memorandum of understanding (MoU) - a temporary written agreement between two countries, companies or organizations that explains how they are planning to do in the future and what their relationship will be บันทึกข้อตกลงความร่วมมือ; บันทึกความเข้าใจ ในทางปฏิบัติระหว่างประเทศถือเป็นสนธิสัญญาชนิดหนึ่ง [การฑูต]
signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU)

Ms Yingluck and her Mongolian counterpart Norovyn Altankhuyag signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to set up a dialogue aimed at increasing trade and investment cooperation

Chamber of Commerce - 1. a national organization that encourages trade between its own country and foreign companies; 2. a group of business people in a particular town or area who work together to help their trade and provide information and training in business หอการค้า, กลุ่ม ผู้ทำธุรกิจ ที่รวมตัวกัน เพื่อ จุดประสงค์ทาง การค้าขาย

Another MoU involved building cooperation between Mongolia's Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Thailand's Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking

ease - to make easier and less difficult, unpleasant, painful, etc บรรเทา ทำให้ง่าย
ease investment conditions between the countries

aim - purpose; goal; the thing you hope to achieve by doing something เป้าหมาย จุดมุ่งหมาย
aim to increase economic cooperation

The agreements aim to increase economic cooperation and ease investment conditions between the countries.

boost - to increase; to strengthen เพิ่ม; ทำให้มีกำลังมากขึ้น
boost cooperation on science and technology

biotechnology  - เทคโนโลยีชีวภาพ
pharmaceuticals - drug companies บริษัทยา

The leaders also signed an agreement to boost cooperation on science and technology including biotechnology, food, pharmaceuticals, electronics and computers.

chamber - one of the sections of a parliament ห้อง ห้องประชุม
in full chamber - with all of parliament present
held a discussion in full chamber

The leaders held a discussion in full chamber at Mongolia's State Palace in the capital Ulan Bator before signing the MoUs.

ties - relations; connections ความสัมพันธ์
closer ties - have closer ties and friendship; do more business together

foster - to help something grow and increase
foster closer ties - to help become closer friends and do more activities and business together

Ms Yingluck's visit will help to foster closer ties.

participate - to take part in or become involved in an activity มีส่วน
participant - a person doing an activity, involved in an activity

pending - waiting to be dealt with, settled or completed ยังค้างอยู่, ซึ่งยังไม่จบสิ้น, อยู่ในระหว่าง

Prime Minister's Office secretary-general, Suranand Vejjajiva, said Thailand supported Mongolia's willingness to fully participate in the Cobra Gold multinational military exercise in Thailand, pending the support of other participants.

observer - a person who watches what happens but has no active part in it; a person who watches and analyses a situation ผู้สังเกตการณ์,ผู้ออกความเห็น
take part as observer

Mongolia takes part in Cobra Gold as an observer

Mr Suranand said the government is also ready to sign the Agreement for the Promotion and Protection of Investment with Mongolia.

double - to become twice as big, twice as much or twice as many เพิ่มเป็นสองเท่า
double trade - increase so it become two times bigger

The deal would double trade between the two nations within the next three years, he said.

two-way - in both directions (from Thailand to Mongolia and Mongolia to Thailand)
two-way trade
Two-way trade last year with Mongolia was worth US$13.69 million (400 million baht)