On 5 September 2022, H.E. Mr. Vijavat Isarabhakdi, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, chaired the High-Level meeting on Promoting Maritime Connectivity through Economic Diplomacy, organized by the Department of International Economic Affairs and joined by high level representatives of 16 key public and private players in maritime commercial and connectivity affairs at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

The meeting discussed ways to promote Thailand’s maritime connectivity agenda in the context of changing economic and geopolitical dynamics in view of enhancing Thailand’s role as regional cross-border multimodal transport and logistics hub linking the Indian and the Pacific Ocean.
The meeting also identified key areas of action and priorities regarding maritime connectivity in various regional cooperation frameworks, in particular the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) for which Thailand currently serves as chair and ‘Lead Country’ in connectivity.