Summary of Weekly Press Briefing by

Director-General of Department of Information/Spokesperson of MFA

Friday 7 February 2025 at 11.00 hrs. at Press Conference Room, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

and MFA FB/TikTok Live

1. The official visit of the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs to the People's Republic of China (5 - 8 February 2025)

• Prime Minister of Thailand and her delegation, including Foreign Minister, are currently in Beijing on an official visit to China which will last until 8 February The Prime Minister will also attend the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin at the invitation of H.E. Mr. Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of China.
• During the visit, the Prime Minister is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on President Xi Jinping of China, and have bilateral meetings with H.E. Mr. Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of China, and H.E. Mr. Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.
• The Prime Minister will also meet with Chinese and Thai business executives to further strengthen the business partnership between the two countries, and witness the signing ceremony of 13 agreements, covering various areas of mutual interest, including digital economy, nuclear technology, space, and artificial intelligence (AI).
• Following the official meetings in Beijing, the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister will travel to Harbin to attend the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games.
• This official visit marks the beginning of the Golden Jubilee for Thailand-China Friendship in celebration of 50 years of the establishment of our diplomatic relations. It also presents an opportunity to further advance the Thailand - China Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership.

2. Foreign Minister’s visit to Israel to meet with the five recently released Thai nationals

• On 30 January 2025, five Thai hostages were released from Gaza and transferred to Al-Shamir Medical Center in Tel Aviv. The Foreign Minister, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces visited the five Thais on 1 February 2025 and found all of them to be in good physical health and in good spirits.
• During the visit to Israel, the Foreign Minister also paid a courtesy call on the President of Israel and held discussions with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Interior of Israel. He used this opportunity to express appreciation for Israel’s close cooperation and called for continued support in securing the release of one remaining Thai hostage and retrieving the bodies of the two deceased Thai hostages back to Thailand. The Minister also sought assistance from Israel to ensure the safety and welfare of Thai workers in Israel.
• Additionally, on 3 February 2025, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs coordinated the travel of family members to visit these five Thai nationals in Israel.
• As we have shared with interested media, the group is returning to Thailand on Emirates Airline flight EK 374 this Sunday morning. The Foreign Minister and Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs will be at Suvarnabhumi Airport to welcome them, as well as high level representatives of other related ministries.

3. Outcomes of the “OLÁ BL&GL THAILAND IN BRAZIL” event to showcase the ‘BL’ & ‘GL’ series, and the potential of the Thai entertainment industry

• Regarding Thailand’s efforts to promote soft power and gender equality. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, in collaboration between the Department of Information, Thailand Foundation and the Thai Association of Boys Love Content, jointly organised the "OLÁ BL&GL THAILAND IN BRAZIL" during 29 January – 3 February 2025. We led a delegation of 4 couples of actors from Boy Love & Girl Love Series, and 8 Y-series entertainment media to São Paulo, Brazil. The objectives of the visit are to promote the Thai Y-series industry and to expand its market presence in Brazil specifically and the Latin American region in general.
• Key activities during the visit included a courtesy call on the Government of the State of São Paulo, to discuss enhancing cooperation between the public and private sectors through cultural exchanges and the promotion of Thai Y-series in São Paulo and throughout Brazil.
• In addition, the Thai series actors had a live performance and held a meet-and-greet with over 1,500 fans at Terra SP Concert Hall. The event was well-received by the local media, as well as Brazilian and latin american fanclubs. The delegation also met with influencers and local media, filmed additional content in various locations and published it on social media.
• 8 top companies from the Thai Y-series industry are Halo Production, Be On Cloud, Hollywood Jinloe, Kongthup Production, 9Naa Production, FRT Entertainment, Mediaplex International, and MCOT Public Company Limited, who participated in business matching events with 15 key Brazilian and Latin American companies. This business matching activity is expected to generate about 275 million Thai Baht in business value. This will be achieved by copyright license agreements, artist performances, fan club events, and extensive business collaboration.
• The OLÁ BL&GL Thailand in Brazil project is part of the promotion of Thai cultural diplomacy, economic diplomacy, and the "Local to Global" initiative. The initiative is aimed at driving economic benefits and expanding Thai soft power industries in film, drama, and television series onto the global stage. This project also fosters people-to-people understanding, and strengthens cooperation between Thailand, Brazil, and others in the Latin American region.

4. Thailand will host the 6th BIMSTEC Summit on 4 April 2025

• Thailand has taken over the BIMSTEC Chairmanship from Sri Lanka since 30 March 2022, and has presented a PRO BIMSTEC Vision as a guideline for driving the group's cooperation. The PRO BIMSTEC vision aims to support economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic and address common challenges through all areas of cooperation over the past almost 3 years.
• BIMSTEC consists of seven member countries, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
• This year, Thailand will host the 6th BIMSTEC Summit on 4 April 2025, which will be the first leaders' meeting under this government.
• The expected outcomes of the 6th BIMSTEC Summit are:

1. BIMSTEC Bangkok Vision 2030 which is one of the deliverables of Thailand's Chairmanship to (1) set a clear direction and goals for BIMSTEC cooperation, (2) identify key priorities for achieving these goals, (3) promote BIMSTEC as a space for peace, stability and economic sustainability, and (4) enhance cooperation on adaptation to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
2. Rules of Procedure for BIMSTEC Mechanisms to put in place operational mechanisms and define the responsibilities of various structures within BIMSTEC.
3. 6th BIMSTEC Summit Declaration, expressing the intentions of the BIMSTEC Leaders and actions and achievements during Thailand's Chairmanship. The Declaration would also represent the commitment of all BIMSTEC member states in line with the BIMSTEC Bangkok Vision 2030.
4. Report of the BIMSTEC Eminent Persons’ Group which is a policy recommendation document of the panel of experts to develop BIMSTEC in accordance with the BIMSTEC Bangkok Vision 2030.

• During Thailand's Chairmanship, Thailand has made every effort to ensure that cooperation within the BIMSTEC framework is of maximum benefit to the people. Several concrete examples of economic issues that have been promoted include sustainable and resilient new forms of business, regional connectivity, and competitiveness of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). These efforts have enabled people to transport goods at lower costs, especially by sea, and connect entrepreneurs of all sizes to access markets in this region more easily.
• In terms of economic and social security, Thailand focuses on enhancing food security and public health, in order to allow us to develop cooperation in traditional medicine, expand agricultural product markets, and enhance food security with member countries.
• In addition, Thailand promotes sustainable tourism in all dimensions, making tourists from India and South Asia the top targets for Thailand tourism industry.
• I would like to invite everyone in Thailand to join as good hosts as we welcome representatives from various countries attending the BIMSTEC meetings this April.

Watch the full session at: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17mXpyAXS1/?mibextid=wwXIfr