Supachai Charoenphakdi, senior vice president of the Charoen Pokphand Group, revealed on July 19 that the business delegation's roadshow with Prime Minister Anusit Charnvirakul and Public Health Minister in Chengdu aims to attract investment from key regions including Chongqing and Guangdong Province, which serve as important manufacturing bases for China's advanced technology industries.

The push targets the semiconductor, electronics, advanced technology, and aerospace sectors. Establishing partnerships with these regions would significantly boost foreign direct investment into Thailand. Last year, Thailand attracted only $10 billion in FDI compared to Vietnam's $27 billion, a gap that directly impacts GDP growth and underscores the urgent need for Thailand to strengthen its role as a manufacturing and export base, particularly in electronics and semiconductors.

The core strategy for attracting Chinese investment centers on building trust and international relations, as Chinese investors place great emphasis on legal frameworks, tax incentives, and government facilitation to reduce investment risk. "This visit carries good omens because the prime minister has deep understanding across government, political, and private sectors—factors crucial for building confidence and good governance," Supachai said. "This positions senior Chinese leaders to listen to proposals that will give investors confidence Thailand is a viable manufacturing hub compared to Vietnam, Malaysia, or Indonesia."

Supachai concluded that this economic push represents a pivotal step to make Thailand a primary destination for Eastern investment, especially in future industries, strengthening Thailand's economic structure for sustainable long-term growth.

eArena, a Thai esports team, has claimed the first-ever international women's championship in the game RoV at a competition held in Vietnam.

The Arena of Valor Premier League 2026 – Queens Showdown grand finals took place at Tien Son Stadium in Da Nang, Vietnam on July 19. The match pitted eArena, an all-female Thai team, against One Star Esports, the host nation's Vietnamese women's squad.

The teams competed in a best-of-seven series. After One Star opened with a 1-0 lead, eArena stormed back to take two consecutive games and grab a 2-1 advantage. One Star recovered to tie the series 2-2, but eArena then won two more games in succession to clinch the championship 4-2, becoming the first team ever to win the international women's title in RoV.

Thailand's men's volleyball team claimed third place at the SEA V Cup 2026 first leg with a dramatic comeback victory over Vietnam. Vietnam won the opening set, but Thailand rallied and secured a 3-1 set victory with scores of 23-25, 30-28, 25-20, and 28-26. The team was led by coach Park Ki-won and featured players including Phadej Pinij, Anuchit Pakdeekaew, Chaiwat Tungkham, Thanathot Tvavirattana, Bunnyrit Wongtor at setter, and Natthapong Chachamnarn as libero. The second leg of the SEA V Cup 2026 will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia from July 22-26, 2026.

Surawut Cherdchai praised the Thailand Cycling Association for advancing hand bike sports as a health-promoting activity, noting that parents from Singapore traveled to Thailand to bring their daughters to compete and commended the country's high-standard event management. The third round of the Thailand National Children's Hand Bike Championship, held July 19, 2025, at Korat Hall in Central World Nakhon Ratchasima, was officially opened by Surawut Cherdchai and featured military officer Daecha Mekraksri, vice president of the Asian Cycling Confederation, president of the ASEAN Cycling Federation, and president of the Thailand Cycling Association, along with other officials. After the opening ceremony, Surawut expressed joy that parents from across Thailand brought their children to compete, highlighting benefits including improved children's health, quality development, reduced screen time, stronger family bonds, and economic stimulus for the province as over 2,000 participants boosted local hotels, restaurants, and shops. He noted that the association plans athlete development from ages 1.5 to 10 years old, building foundations for progression to BMX and other cycling disciplines, and credited Daecha Mekraksri for strengthening the association and elevating Thai cycling internationally. Joyce Chew, a Singapore resident who brought her daughter Quinny Tan to the competition after learning of it on the Thailand Cycling Association's Facebook page, praised the event's systematic organization, punctuality, professional standards, and excellent arrangements, noting that Thailand's competition level is larger, more standardized, and more professional than Singapore's. Grandmother Krishana Simcharoen, who came to cheer her granddaughter Nicha Timpatthum, observed the children's impressive abilities and noted that hand biking had improved her granddaughter's physical development, discipline, etiquette, and confidence compared to before.

PHUKET: A Myanmar national was arrested during an early-morning inspection at two markets in Phuket Town on Saturday (July 18) as authorities investigated complaints of foreigners illegally working in occupations reserved for Thai nationals.

Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthammaphan said on July 18 that she used a stopover during her return to Thailand from U.S. trade negotiations to participate in a Thai food and fruit promotion event at Aeon's Narita branch in Japan, monitoring market conditions and the overall situation for Thai products in Japan.

She visited displays of Thai fruits and food products that have attracted significant interest from Japanese consumers, particularly Thai durian, which continues to gain growing recognition and popularity, along with other Thai fruits such as mangosteen and pomelo, as well as Thai snacks and desserts favored by Japanese shoppers on weekends. These sales reflect the potential of Thai agricultural and food products to expand into Japan's premium market segment.

Suphajee also visited Kaew Jai, a Thai restaurant in Chiba Prefecture that holds the Thai SELECT certification and has served authentic Thai cuisine for over 25 years, exemplifying the success of building Thailand's food brand and consumer confidence in foreign markets.

Suphajee stated that through discussions with Pimjai Matsumoto, Honorary Trade Advisor for International Trade, and Nobuo Shirahama, a specialist in Japanese banana development, she exchanged information and monitored progress on promoting Thai banana exports to Japan, a market with high potential. Japan imports approximately 1 million tons of fresh bananas annually, with over 80 percent coming from ASEAN countries, making it an important opportunity for Thailand to increase market share and expand premium banana exports to Japanese consumers.

The Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP) has scheduled a visit for Japanese importers to banana cultivation areas to meet with farmers and business operators in order to build confidence and encourage purchasing orders, with the main objective of capturing a larger share of Japan's banana market.