Thai PM Anuchit Returns Early From UK Visit
Prime Minister Anuchit Chaivirakul cut short his UK visit to return to Thailand early, after meeting with British officials and major investors including Virgin Atlantic and Rolls-Royce to boost bilateral trade and investment ties.
On September 26, Government Spokesman Ekaphop Phierpises announced that Prime Minister Anuchit Chaivirakul has met with UK government officials, Matt Western MP, UK trade representatives, and private sector companies including Virgin Atlantic and Rolls-Royce, as well as leading institutional investors arranged by the Thailand Stock Exchange in partnership with UBS. The Prime Minister addressed a reception attended by over 50 UK officials and business representatives.
The Prime Minister noted that the two countries celebrated 170 years of diplomatic relations this year, with close ties at the royal, government, and people-to-people levels. Both nations share values including commitment to multilateral trade, free trade, and international principles and standards. Last year, Thailand's foreign direct investment increased by 37 percent. The government is pursuing free trade agreements with various countries and advancing OECD membership to enhance the business environment.
Several Thai private companies have invested in the UK, while the UK remains a major investor in the Thailand Stock Exchange. Virgin Atlantic opened a direct London-Phuket route and expanded cooperation with Bangkok Airways and the Tourism Authority of Thailand to attract more tourists. Rolls-Royce executives thanked the government for promoting investment and technology cooperation to upgrade Thailand's aviation industry toward high-value activities. They noted that investing in Thailand means investing in ASEAN, which has over 700 million people and is currently experiencing strong growth.
The Prime Minister stated that Thailand has energy security and the government promotes alternative energy such as wind and solar power, and is studying small modular reactors (SMR). The government supports transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy and promotes future industries such as AI and healthcare to drive economic growth. For data centers, a data center business policy committee has been established to oversee investment appropriately. He invited leading private companies and investors participating in today's discussions to increase investment and trade, noting that Thailand-UK trade and investment remain modest compared to both countries' potential.
He also called on UK financial institutions and investors to consider investments in the stock market, other assets, and direct investment. One of Thailand's key advantages is government stability, which ensures policy continuity and enables strategic policy-making such as seriously combating scams and online threats. Recently, several rating institutions have revised their assessment of Thailand's creditworthiness positively as "stable," highlighting Thailand's continued economic opportunities.
Spokesman Ekaphop revealed that Prime Minister Anuchit Chaivirakul has advanced his return to Thailand, departing London at 1 p.m. local time instead of the originally scheduled 3 p.m., and will arrive in Thailand around 8 a.m. the following morning before taking command of flood response operations.
