Thai commerce minister joins APEC MRT in China, eyes bilateral talks

Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun said she would attend the 2026 APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT) Meeting in the People’s Republic of China, which is hosting APEC this year, from May 22 to 23, in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, under the main theme “Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together”.

Suphajee said the People’s Republic of China would host the APEC MRT, a ministerial-level forum for ministers responsible for trade under the APEC framework, to drive concrete outcomes in three key areas:

• “Openness”, promoting an open, transparent and predictable trade and economic system at both regional and multilateral levels.
• “Innovation”, building mechanisms for trade and investment cooperation driven by innovation and modern technology.
• “Cooperation”, strengthening cooperation among member economies to sustainably address shared economic challenges.

This year’s APEC trade ministers’ meeting will be an important opportunity for Thailand to present its vision and exchange views, to advance open and sustainable economic and trade cooperation that is ready for changes in the modern global economy.

Thailand will also present its commitment to driving the transition towards a digital economy under the Thailand National AI Strategy and Action Plan, and to supporting trusted cross-border data flows.

Suphajee said discussions during the APEC MRT would cover ways to promote environmentally friendly economic and trade activity, develop an interoperable and practical AI regulatory framework, and strengthen the capacity of developing countries and MSMEs to support future economic transition.

There will also be a joint lunch involving commerce ministers from APEC economies and China’s business sector, which will provide an important opportunity to exchange views with Chinese businesspeople on the digital economy and green energy.

Suphajee said she would use the opportunity during the APEC MRT to hold bilateral talks with key economies, including the People’s Republic of China and Singapore, to push forward economic, trade and investment cooperation, while reaffirming Thailand’s role in supporting an open trading system and economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.

Thailand aims to promote trade facilitation, the digital transition, sustainable trade and supply-chain resilience to enhance economic efficiency and investor confidence under the APEC cooperation framework.

APEC, or Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, comprises 21 member economies: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, the United States and Viet Nam.

In 2025, Thailand’s trade with APEC economies was worth US$494.64624 billion, accounting for 72.24% of the country’s total trade.

Thailand’s exports to APEC were worth US$237.58196 billion, while imports from APEC stood at US$257.06429 billion.