On 29 August 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Embassy of the United States of America in Bangkok, co-hosted the Supply Chain Symposium: Building Supply Chain Resilience for Thailand-U.S. Enhanced Partnership, at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. The Symposium provided a platform to exchange knowledge and promote understanding on supply chain management, as well as identify opportunities to promote investment in supply chains of critical sectors.

In his remarks, Mr. Chettaphan Maksamphan, Director-General of the American and South Pacific Affairs, underscored the purposes of the event to strengthen cooperation between Thailand and the U.S. under the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand and the Government of the United States of America on Promoting Supply Chain Resilience, as well as support supply chain cooperation under the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Robert F. Godec also reiterated the importance of resilient supply chain, and ongoing cooperation between Thailand and the U.S. to strengthen the supply chain. In her opening remarks, Ms. Busadee Santipitaks, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, highlighted the longstanding bilateral relations between the two nations, underpinned by economic linkages since the inception of the 1833 Treaty of Amity and Commerce. She also reaffirmed a shared vision and commitment to further enhance bilateral economic partnership in critical sectors to reap the mutual benefits for the two countries.

The Symposium gather leaders from Thai and U.S. private and public sectors to share expertise and experiences in sustainably building supply chain resiliency from upstream, midstream to downstream, while taking into account relevant stakeholders’ interests, and Thailand’s potentials in supply chain management, both domestically and internationally. The event also featured thematic discussions, focusing on supply chain management and identifying challenges and opportunities in critical industries, namely, Future Food, Digital Infrastructure, and Clean Energy. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will compile inputs and recommendations from the panels and submit to the Government and relevant agencies.

The U.S. is the second largest trading partner with Thailand. In 2023, bilateral trade volume reached 6.83 billion U.S. dollars. Thailand’s Board of Investment ranked U.S. businesses the third largest investor in 2023. Meanwhile, Thailand’s investment in the U.S. continues to increase, currently totaling 1.52 billion U.S. dollars.