On August 4, Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister of Thailand, delivered a keynote speech at the Indonesia–Thailand Business Forum, focusing on strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries.
The event, themed “Advancing the Indonesia–Thailand Strategic Partnership: Building Integrated Value Chains in Industry, Services, and Halal Economy,” was organized by the Thai Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin Indonesia), drawing over 300 representatives from both nations’ public and private sectors.
Anutin called for a shift from being mere “trade partners” to becoming “co-creators,” emphasizing the integration of production, investment, technology, and innovation. He proposed that Thailand serve as a regional manufacturing hub while Indonesia operates as a major market and maritime gateway, thus boosting economic opportunities across ASEAN.
In recent discussions with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, both leaders agreed to pursue practical opportunities to benefit citizens, entrepreneurs, and investors. With bilateral trade currently nearing $20 billion and plans to increase to $23 billion, the combined population of over 350 million underscores the economic potential between the two countries.
Anutin identified four key cooperation areas:
- Food and halal security: Develop a comprehensive halal value chain, raise standards and certification to expand the global market for high-value food and agricultural products.
- Logistics and digitalization: Enhancing infrastructure, reducing trade costs, and supporting new flight routes such as Bangkok – Jakarta and Phuket – Bali.
- Finance and the digital economy: Expanding Thai-Indonesian banking cooperation and linking PromptPay with QRIS payment systems.
- Energy and green economy: Joint clean energy development for industries like EVs, AI, and data centers.
The prime minister underscored that success should be measured by collaborative achievements, such as robust industries and connected supply chains, rather than trade figures alone. Business and government representatives from both sides welcomed these initiatives, emphasizing that increased collaboration would boost regional competitiveness and ASEAN’s global standing.
Following the speech, four Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) were signed to further reinforce bilateral cooperation:
- Thai tourism promotion between the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and PT Trinusa Travelindo (Traveloka Indonesia).
- Strategic marketing, communications, and tourism cooperation between TAT and PT TransNusa Aviation Mandiri (TransNusa Indonesia).
- Carbon market cooperation between Kadin Indonesia and the Thai Chamber of Commerce
- Economic cooperation between Kadin Indonesia and the Thai Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia.
