Japan Ambassador Warns Cambodia on Thai Border Closure

MGR Online•International•15h ago

Reader Briefing

Japan's Ambassador to Cambodia warns that the prolonged land border closure with Thailand is damaging Cambodia's appeal under the Thailand Plus One strategy.

•Ueno Atsushi, the Japanese Ambassador to Cambodia, stated that land border closures disrupt the Thailand Plus One strategy for Japanese companies.
•The closure at Poipet has caused significant damage to Japanese manufacturers seeking to diversify production costs away from Thailand.
•Cambodia maintains long-term investment potential due to a young workforce and opportunities in renewable energy, specifically solar and hydropower.
•Online scam operations and international negative images are also complicating Cambodia's economic development.

Overview

•Ueno Atsushi stated that land border closures between Cambodia and Thailand damage Cambodia's image as an investment destination.
•Japanese companies use the Thailand Plus One strategy to keep high-value production in Thailand while moving labor-intensive processes to neighbors like Cambodia.
•The land border closure at Poipet has caused significant damage to Japanese companies utilizing the Thailand Plus One strategy.
•Japanese manufacturers are considering expanding supply chains to neighbors because of rising labor and production costs in Thailand.
•Ueno Atsushi warned that over-reliance on a single country for critical material supplies makes supply chains fragile.
•Ueno Atsushi noted that Cambodia remains attractive to Japanese investors whose businesses rely primarily on domestic demand rather than trade through Thailand.
•Ueno Atsushi acknowledged that border conflicts, a negative international image, and online scam operations complicate Cambodia's economic promotion.
•Ueno Atsushi expressed hope that the border between Thailand and Cambodia will reopen in the near future to restore the feasibility of the Thailand Plus One strategy.

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Key Quotes

Ueno Atsushi

"The fact on the other side is that Cambodia's image as an investment destination has been damaged by border conflicts, especially the land border closure."

ข้อเท็จจริงในอีกด้านหนึ่งคือ ภาพลักษณ์ของกัมพูชาในฐานะจุดหมายปลายทางการลงทุนได้ความเสียหายจากความขัดแย้งตามแนวชายแดน โดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งจากการปิดชายแดนทางบก

Ueno Atsushi

"In the medium and long term, Cambodia still has potential; as I said, this potential is not affected by the closure of the border between Thailand and Cambodia."

ในระยะกลางและระยะยาว กัมพูชายังคงมีศักยภาพ อย่างที่ผมพูด ศักยภาพนี้ไม่ได้รับผลกระทบจากการปิดชายแดนระหว่างไทยกับกัมพูชา

Ueno Atsushi

"If the checkpoints are opened directly, the Thailand Plus One strategy will become feasible again, and then Cambodia will be able to attract more investment."

ถ้ามีการเปิดด่านโดยตรง ยุทธศาสตร์ไทยแลนด์พลัสวันจะกลับมามีความเป็นไปได้อีกครั้ง และเมื่อนั้น กัมพูชา จะสามารถดึงดูดการลงทุนเพิ่มเติม

Key Entities

Person

Ueno Atsushi(อูเอโนะ อัตสึชิ)

The Japanese Ambassador to Cambodia who is currently leaving his position.

Place

Cambodia(กัมพูชา)ℹ️

A country bordering Thailand that is a potential investment destination for Japanese manufacturers.

Thailand(ไทย)ℹ️

A country where Japanese companies have established main production bases.

Phnom Penh(พนมเปญ)ℹ️

The city where the Japanese Ambassador's speech took place.

Poipet(ปอยเปต)ℹ️

The location of the closed land border causing damage to Japanese companies.

Organization

Phnom Penh Post(พนมเปญโพสต์)ℹ️

The news organization that reported on the Japanese Ambassador's warnings.

Policy

Thailand Plus One(ไทยแลนด์พลัสวัน)

A strategy used by Japanese companies to maintain a main base in Thailand while expanding labor-intensive processes to neighboring countries.