On 16 September, 2022, Mr. Sarun Charoensuwan, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, presided over the opening of the seminar entitled " Thai-Bangladesh Trade and Investment Opportunities " at Vithes Samosorn, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The speakers from public and private sectors with experiences on trade and investment in Bangladesh included Assoc. Prof. Dr. Piti Srisangnam, Director of the Center for International Economics; Chulalongkorn University, Mr. Khemmathat Archavathamrong, Director of the Office of International Trade in Dhaka, Mr. Ajasith Sroithong, Director of the Thai Enterprise Development Division, Office of the Board of Investment, as well as representatives from Siam Cement Group (SCG) Pcl., Italian - Thai Development (ITD) Pcl. and Leewiwat Textile Industry Co., Ltd.

The panelists agreed that there is still potential for trade relations between Thailand and Bangladesh to be vastly developed, and Thai entrepreneurs can take advantage of trade privileges that Bangladesh has received from abroad. There is also an opportunity to trade consumer goods and invest in sectors that Thailand has expertise in, such as agro-manufacturing. However, Thai entrepreneurs still have to adapt to the culture and regulations of Bangladesh for their businesses to succeed.

The seminar was organised to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Bangladesh in 2022. The aim of the seminar is to raise public awareness of trade and investment opportunities between Thailand and Bangladesh which will play an important role in the development of economic relations and provide the foundation for a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two countries to be finalised in the future.