From 12 - 17 November 2023, H.E. Mr. Srettha Thavisin, Prime Minister of Thailand, together with the Thai delegation and business leaders, traveled to San Francisco, California, to attend the 2023 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting (AELM), hosted by the United States,
as well as other related activities on the margins of APEC. This landmark meeting offers a great opportunity for Thailand to share insights and exchange views on the global economy, and to take part in gearing APEC’s work towards robust growth and sustainable advancement of the Asia-Pacific region.

The AELM concluded successfully, and was attended by leaders from all over the region, from major powers and key economic players such as China, Russia, Japan, Australia and Canada, to ASEAN economies which are Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Viet Nam. The United States also invited Colombia, Fiji and India to join as Guests of the Chair. The meeting delivered many tangible outcomes, including the endorsement of two outcome documents by consensus, namely the Golden Gate Leaders’ Declaration and the 2023 APEC Ministerial Meeting Joint Statement.

For Thailand, the 2023 AELM is unique. Under this year’s theme “Creating a Resilient and Sustainable Future for All”, the United States as host endeavoured to build on Thailand’s achievements from last year, particularly the Bangkok Goals on BCG Economy; the first-ever and most comprehensive document in APEC on the sustainability agenda. It also received strong support from all economies to further advance this important work forward in a tangible manner.

The Prime Minister also took this opportunity to reiterate to all Leaders and the business community that Thailand is back and is implementing a number of key policies, in order to build confidence and demonstrate Thailand’s readiness in terms of infrastructure and ecosystems to welcome all investors. These include the Landbridge project to link the Indian Ocean with the Pacific Ocean; the plan to accelerate FTAs negotiations; the transition to clean energy, and the utilisation of innovation such as digital and AI to boost growth. In addition,
the Prime Minister attended a number of side meetings, including under the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). He also had bilateral discussions with the Prime Ministers of Japan, Canada, Australia, and the US Secretary of Commerce, as well as meetings with executives of key US companies and Thai Community in California.

APEC is a highly influential economic cooperation bloc that sets policy directions on various important global issues. It also serves as an incubator of ideas, particularly on issues such as the promotion and facilitation of trade and investment, the support for the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core, the creation of sustainable and inclusive growth, with a view to uplifting the livelihoods of people.

Thailand is one of the founding members of APEC and has always supported its work. This is because of APEC’s strategic importance, both in terms of geographical area and tremendous economic value (the population in APEC alone accounts for almost 40 per cent of the global population, and the trade within APEC represents more than half of the world’s trade). Furthermore, many APEC members are Thailand’s major trading partners. Therefore, through active participation and contribution to the APEC meeting this year, Thailand reaffirmed its commitment to working with all APEC economies to realise benefits and a better future for all people and future generations, as APEC has done for over the past 30 years.