Thailand Clinches ASEAN-Hong Kong Investment Deal

Thailand has successfully driven the completion of an ASEAN-Hong Kong investment agreement, signing a protocol to open investment markets and strengthen supply chain linkages. Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Supachee Suthummapand announced that Thailand, as the coordinating country for the ASEAN-Hong Kong, China Investment Agreement (AHKIA), has successfully negotiated additional terms to open investment opportunities. This represents a key step in strengthening bilateral investment cooperation and will help promote supply chain connectivity and expand business opportunities in the region. The protocol was signed during the 10th ASEAN-Hong Kong Economic Ministers Meeting on September 20, 2025, in Manila, Philippines.

Supachee stated that the protocol represents a successful outcome in establishing an investment market opening schedule aimed at attracting high-quality investments aligned with Thailand's needs in sectors where Hong Kong has competitive advantages, including automobiles, auto parts, automotive equipment, and printed circuit boards. These sectors will strengthen supply chain linkages with Thai businesses and enhance the competitiveness of Thailand's industrial sector, while also creating opportunities for Thai investors to invest in Hong Kong in sectors where Thailand has potential, connected to the Chinese market under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This will enable Thailand's economy to withstand global economic volatility and achieve strong, sustainable long-term growth.

Supachee emphasized that Thailand's investment market opening commitments under this protocol do not affect the state's regulatory and policy-setting rights, and do not require amendments to domestic laws, as the commitments comply with existing legal frameworks and measures currently in force. Thailand carefully considered these commitments to align with the government's goals of restructuring the economy toward innovation and technology-driven growth, while attracting investment in high-tech target industries and sectors of interest to Hong Kong investors.

The AHKIA entered into force on June 17, 2019, and became fully effective on February 12, 2021, covering investment protection, promotion, and facilitation. Formal negotiations on investment market opening began in 2021 and concluded with legal scrubbing and verification completed in March 2025. This success represents a significant milestone in raising investment standards between ASEAN and Hong Kong, promoting regulatory transparency and predictability, reducing investment barriers, creating a modern and investment-friendly environment, and strengthening investor confidence.