Kuala Lumpur: Prime Minister Ms. Paethongtarn Shinawatra engaged in bilateral discussions with Mr. Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., President of the Republic of the Philippines, to bolster cooperation in diverse areas including trade, investment, food security, and energy. The talks, held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center, also focused on tourism and the suppression of transnational crimes, with Thailand expressing its readiness to support the Philippines' role as ASEAN Chair in 2026.
According to Thai News Agency, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing bilateral trade and investment. In 2024, the Philippines ranked as Thailand's fifth largest trading partner in ASEAN, with trade surpassing 11 billion US dollars. The discussions highlighted interest from Thai private sectors in investing in the Philippines, with companies like Shera initiating operations in the region.
The conversations extended to food security, with Thailand expressing its agricultural export capabilities and proposing a Government-to-Government (G2G) rice trade. Efforts to implement an existing Memorandum of Understanding on expanding agricultural and consumer goods export markets were also discussed.
Energy cooperation was another focal point, with Thailand eager to collaborate on clean and renewable energy projects in the Philippines. The talks also covered modern technologies, such as artificial intelligence, and educational cooperation, leveraging the Philippines' strengths in the education sector to support English language teaching in Thailand.
In tourism, both countries explored potential joint marketing initiatives and the Philippines expressed interest in learning from Thailand's tourism expertise. Additionally, the leaders addressed online fraud involving citizens from both nations and acknowledged Thailand's role in facilitating the return of Filipinos from Myawaddy.
The meeting concluded with a discussion on the global trade challenges posed by the United States' unilateral import tariffs, emphasizing the need to strengthen ASEAN cooperation to navigate these uncertainties effectively.