Naturally, we in Asia should see this regional citizenship linked to the economic opportunities available in our own region and to the degree of economic integration between Asia and the rest of the world. Thus, going forward, Thai and other ASEAN nationals need to put more emphasis on the growing ASEAN Economic Community or AEC, which will start officially in 2015 only a few years from now. Ladies and Gentlemen, As a major driving force of regional citizenship, the AEC is part of a larger plan for the ASEAN Community, which involves security, economic, and socio-cultural cooperation. It aims to transform ASEAN into a single market and production base, a highly competitive economic region, a region of equitable economic development, and a region fully integrated into the global economy. To this end, the AEC blueprint focuses on free flow of goods, services, investment, and skilled labor, and freer flows of capital, to help minimize transaction costs and maximize trade gains. On trade liberalization, the ultimate target is not only to reduce all tariffs to zero, but also to eliminate non-tariff barriers, including subsidies, restrictions, and sensitive industry classification. And as of 1 January 2010, ASEAN-6 applied zero tariffs to 99 percent of goods, while the CLMV countries plan to achieve the same goal by 2015. A unified trading region will facilitate development of production networks, bridge fragmented trade opportunities, and allow ASEAN to become central to global supply chains.
Prasarn Trairatvorakul: Attributes of quality global citizens in the next decade Speech by Dr Prasarn Trairatvorakul, Governor of the Bank of Thailand, at the International Conference on General Education “Roles and Experiences in Cultivating Global Citizens”, Bangkok, 11 January 2012. *  *  *  Distinguished panelists and moderator, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is an honor and pleasure to be invited to share my views on the issue of global citizenship in the next decade. On this issue, I wish to focus on two important dimensions, namely driving forces and readiness. First, I will look at the progress of ASEAN integration as the major driving force toward global citizenship. And second, I will briefly discuss the necessity to develop global competencies to ensure the readiness of local talents with an aim to integrate with global talents. On the first issue, I should stress that global citizenship is linked to the relationship between an individual with the state. Since we now live in a virtual world connected by technology, today’s global relationship should perhaps be better defined as an association with economic opportunities available to an individual irrespective of physical presence. Moreover, global citizenship implies the shift from domestic focus to global focus with the ultimate aim of attaining global standards in terms of operating environment and resource management. At this juncture, however, I see it as unrealistic to think about global citizenship without first attaining regional citizenship.