Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Supachee Sutheepanthu will participate in the 2025 APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) meeting in the People's Republic of China, the host economy for this year's APEC forum, held May 22-23, 2025 in Suzhou, Zhejiang Province, under the theme 'Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together.'

Supachee stated that China will host the APEC MRT meeting, a ministerial-level platform within the APEC framework, to drive concrete outcomes across three priorities: 'Openness' to promote transparent, predictable open trade and economic systems at both regional and multilateral levels; 'Innovation' to create trade and investment cooperation mechanisms driven by modern technology and innovation; and 'Cooperation' to strengthen collaboration among APEC economies in tackling economic challenges sustainably.

The 2025 APEC MRT meeting will be a crucial opportunity for Thailand to present its vision and exchange perspectives to advance open, sustainable economic and trade cooperation responsive to new global economic dynamics. Thailand will also present its commitment to digital economic transformation under the National AI Strategy and support trusted cross-border data flows.

During the APEC MRT meeting, discussions will address promoting environment-friendly economics and trade, developing implementable AI governance frameworks, and strengthening capacity of developing economies and MSMEs to support future economic transition. A joint lunch between APEC commerce ministers and Chinese business representatives will provide opportunities to exchange views on digital economy and green energy.

Supachee revealed that Thailand will hold bilateral discussions with key economies including the People's Republic of China and Singapore to advance economic, trade, and investment cooperation, while affirming Thailand's role in supporting open trade systems and economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. Thailand aims to promote trade facilitation, digital transformation, sustainable trade, and supply chain resilience to enhance economic efficiency and investor confidence under the APEC framework.

APEC comprises 21 member economies: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam. In 2024, Thailand's trade with APEC economies was valued at $494.65 billion, representing 72.24% of Thailand's total trade, with exports worth $237.58 billion and imports worth $257.06 billion.

On May 21, 2026, Dr. Thatchapong Jongcharoenyannont, a pediatric specialist in respiratory diseases and critical care, posted a warning through his medical education page alerting people born before 1992 to undergo hepatitis B virus blood screening, emphasizing that early detection can help prevent liver cancer.

Dr. Thatchapong explained that Thailand only began implementing nationwide hepatitis B vaccination for newborns seriously around 1992, meaning many people born before that year may never have received the vaccine as infants and could have been infected without knowing it. The critical concern is that hepatitis B virus can remain dormant in the body for decades without any symptoms, with many people only discovering their infection when cirrhosis or liver cancer has already developed.

For anyone born before 1992, particularly those uncertain about their vaccination history or who have never been screened, the doctor recommends getting a blood test screening. Those who test positive can access several effective antiviral medications that help suppress the virus and significantly reduce the risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer. For those testing negative, hepatitis B vaccination is recommended, as it remains one of the few vaccines worldwide that also helps prevent cancer.

PHUKET: An Australian tourist was found dead in a condominium room in Kata last night, with police investigating the case as a suspected drug overdose.

Taiwan has confirmed its third hantavirus case of the year after a 40-year-old man was bitten by a rat at work and developed a fever, from which he has since recovered. All three hantavirus patients in Taiwan contracted the Seoul strain of the virus, which does not transmit between humans and differs from the strain connected to the serious outbreak aboard the cruise ship MV Hondiusz operated by Oceanwide Expeditions in the Netherlands. The three confirmed cases include a man in his 70s from the Daan District in Taipei who died in January, a man in his 70s from New Taipei City who tested positive for hantavirus in March and has since been discharged, and the latest case—a 40-year-old man from Jilong in the northeast who tested positive after being bitten by a rat at work and has recovered. Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control recommends that the public follow three prevention rules to reduce infection risk: do not allow rats to enter homes, do not allow rats to inhabit spaces, and do not allow rats to access food.

BANGKOK: One of Thailand’s best-known faith healers has been arrested on rape and child sexual abuse charges, police said yesterday (May 20), as investigators urged other potential victims to come forward.