Create new avenues of growth, development: Shashi Tharoor

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM - Asia should take into account the changing world economic scenario and leverage its comparative advantage to create new avenues of growth and development, Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor said Saturday.

“Our endeavour should be to leverage our comparative advantage to build alliances, develop partnerships, create new avenues of growth and development and strengthen the existing ones,” said Tharoor while inaugurating the Asian Development Dialogue (ADD) on “Asian Trade: The Way Forward”.

“We need to enhance our mutual investments, joint ventures and project participation,” he said.

The conference debated on the present status of Asian trade and the road ahead for Asian countries in the trade and commerce scenario.

Tharoor said that Thiruvananthapuram, straddling the key sea lanes of communications, has the potential to profit, benefit and contribute to world of commerce and international trade and investment.

“The approach is to work on free trade agreements for mutual benefit as well as work on the architecture of concluding Comprehensive Economic Co-operation Agreements (CECA) with countries with whom the economic engagement is substantive,” added Tharoor who represents the Thiruvananthapuram constituency in the Lok Sabha.

The ADD has been has been established to promote good governance and effective service delivery through advancement of professionalism and better practices in public administration and public service management.

Former Kerala Planning Board member C.P. John said that ADD provides a forum for active exchange of innovation, knowledge and practice in citizen-centered service delivery and leadership development.

“ADD plans to organize similar platforms for debating issues related to democratic governance, social development, commerce and related issues,” John added.

Former Centre for Development Studies director K.P. Kannan said that the centre of gravity of economy and trade is gradually shifting from the North Atlantic and European regions to Asia.

“This shift won’t be easy but India has a possibility to join the club of Japan and China and the journey has only just begun,” Kannan said.