Chinese automobile manufacturer Great Wall Motors has chosen Thailand to establish a regional production centre for electric vehicles.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow, Dissathat Hotrakit, the prime minister's secretary-general and Duangjai Asawajintajit, secretary-general of the Board of Investment welcomed Zhang Jiaming, president of Great Wall Motors' Asean operations, who were visiting to discuss the proposal.
Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said that Gen Prayut told the Chinese company that it is a great honour for the country to be chosen as production hub for the Southeast Asian region and it correlates perfectly withh the government's BCG (Bio-Circular-Green Economy) policy aimed at reducing fossil fuels with the aid of technology and innovation.
Mr Jiaming thanked the prime minister for meeting him and thanked the government for promoting investment. He also highlighted Thailand's potential as a regional production powerhouse due to its location and the policies of the government.
He said the company planned to produce 80,000 cars in the first quarter in Thailand for sale across Southeast Asia and would provide many jobs for Thai workers and contribute towards skills development in the country.
The company also donated 500,000 facemasks to help with the fight against Covid-19.