Bangkok: Opening vistas of economic opportunities, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on October 10 outlined a five-point strategy to boost trade and commerce between the two countries, declaring that Thailand could be India's commercial bridge to South East Asia.

"There are important convergences of interest and economic complementarities between India and Thailand, which should accelerate this process," he told a business meeting of Indian and Thailand Chambers of Trade and Industry in Bangkok.

Enumerating the five-point strategy, Vajpayee said Thailand could be India's commercial bridge to South East Asia, while India could provide Bangkok with huge domestic market and a low cost, high skill manufacturing base for Thai businesses for their global access.

"Thailand's acclaimed competence in infrastructure including ports, airports, highways and urban amenities match our growing requirements in these fields," he said, observing that there was a "happy confluence" of India's 'Look East' posture and Thailand's 'Look West' strategy.

In the knowledge economy, the Prime Minister said India's software skills could usefully support the rapidly developing hardware capabilities of Thailand.

"Our growing skills in biotechnology can be combined to utilise the range of biodiversity in our two countries."

Observing that India is among six countries with the ability to provide "end to end" capabilities in space, from design and fabrication, tracking and control, launching satellites, Vajpayee said, "We have a special expertise in the area of harnessing space technologies to developmental applications."

India, he said, could benefit from Thailand's outstanding skills in developing world-class tourism facilities.

The Thai hospitality industry had lucrative opportunities in India, particularly in the cultural and pilgrimage centres of common interest to both people, he said specifying the five areas that could concretise economic exchanges.

During wide-ranging talks Vajpayee had with his Thai counterpart Thaksin Shinawatra on October 9, the two leaders pledged to double trade between the two countries from the current $ one billion.

Stressing the need to promote connectivity to enhance the quality of economic cooperation, the Prime Minister said India has offered rights to Thai airways for daily flights between Bangkok and Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.

"We have also offered an unlimited number of flights to and from 18 other cities in India. I was happy to hear from Prime Minister Thaksin that Thailand would reciprocate this offer. Our bilateral tourism agreement will give further impetus to our tourism exchanges," he said.

PTI