Thai PM Pitches Australia Businesses on Regional Gateway
Thai PM pitched Australia as Thailand's investment base to access ASEAN's 700 million consumers, addressing business leaders in Sydney and highlighting five priority sectors for expanded bilateral cooperation.
At 4 p.m. on August 18, 2025 (Sydney local time, three hours ahead of Thailand) at Crown Towers in Sydney, Prime Minister Anuthine Charnvirakul and the Minister of Foreign Affairs addressed the Thailand–Australia Investment and Business Partnership Reception, with the theme "Thailand and Australia, A Strategic Partnership for Growth." Government and business representatives from both countries attended, as the Prime Minister invited Australian businesses to use Thailand as an investment base and a gateway to the ASEAN market of nearly 700 million people.
The Prime Minister noted that 2026 will mark 75 years of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Australia, during which both countries have built strong foundations in trade, investment, and people-to-people connections. This visit is not merely about continuing government-level relations, but represents an opportunity to bridge the business sectors and transform long-standing ties into new investments, jobs, and economic opportunities. The government's role is to open doors and create a conducive environment, while the private sector drives tangible results.
Amidst global economic uncertainty stemming from geopolitical tensions, technology, and supply chain disruptions, Thailand prioritizes building economic resilience and immunity through robust business ecosystems, technology promotion, innovation, and cooperation networks with partner nations to enable Thai and regional economic growth amid change.
Regionally, Thailand—as one of ASEAN's founding members and the incoming ASEAN chair in 2027—aims to strengthen regional connectivity and resilience by expanding economic cooperation and supply chain networks to make ASEAN more robust, interconnected, and competitive.
The Prime Minister emphasized that Thailand's strengths extend beyond its domestic market size to include strategic location, industrial base, infrastructure, and trading networks linked to other nations. Investing and producing in Thailand therefore provides access not just to Thailand's 66 million people, but connects to ASEAN's nearly 700 million consumers with increasing trade integration and supply chain harmonization.
"Investing and producing in Thailand means entering not a single market, but an entire region," the Prime Minister said.
On Thailand–Australia economic cooperation, the Prime Minister stated that both countries have a strong foundation from the Thailand–Australia Free Trade Agreement, in effect for over two decades. With complementary economic structures, he identified five key areas for expanded cooperation: agriculture and food, renewable energy and energy storage, digital and creative industries, advanced manufacturing, and education.
The Prime Minister noted that investor confidence in Thailand remains robust, with investment promotion applications submitted to the Board of Investment reaching a record approximately 80,000 million Australian dollars in 2024, a 67 percent increase from the previous year.
