Thai PM Anuthum Pushes Trade With Australia, New Zealand
PM Anutin will visit Australia and New Zealand in August 2026 to expand trade, attract investment, and strengthen security ties with both nations.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul will make official visits to Australia (August 17-20) and New Zealand (August 20-22), 2026, according to government spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek. The government intends to leverage these visits to create economic opportunities by expanding Thai product markets, attracting investment and technology, and strengthening business connections and security cooperation. The Australia visit is the first official Thai PM visit in 14 years, coming before the 75th anniversary of Thai-Australian diplomatic relations in 2027. The Prime Minister will discuss with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese ways to operationalize the strategic partnership in trade, investment, security, clean energy, science, technology, and innovation, and will advance the 2026-2029 joint strategic partnership action plan. Economically, the government wants the visit to produce real business opportunities, with the PM bringing Thai private sector representatives to a Business Networking event organized by the Board of Investment and Austrade to help Thai entrepreneurs build networks, find trading partners, and expand investments. Thailand also aims to deepen science, technology, and innovation cooperation, especially between the National Science and Technology Development Agency and Australia's CSIRO, while opening doors for Thai startups and innovators to learn from Australia's innovation ecosystem. Regarding New Zealand, the visit marks the first official Thai PM visit in 13 years and coincides with the 70th anniversary of Thai-New Zealand diplomatic relations. The Prime Minister will discuss with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and sign a joint declaration upgrading the relationship to an official strategic partnership. Economically, Thailand will push Thai products—agricultural goods, food, consumer products, and retail—into the New Zealand market and attract New Zealand investment, with discussions planned with companies like Skyline Enterprises and Fisher & Paykel. On security, Thailand and New Zealand will strengthen cooperation in preventing and combating transnational crime. The government also aims to improve travel and tourism convenience between the countries.
