Commerce Ministry joins Team Thailand+ in US trade-investment push

Suphajee Suthumpun, Minister of Commerce, said after travelling to Washington, DC, United States, with “Team Thailand+” from May 4 to May 5, that the visit was intended to promote economic, trade and investment cooperation between Thailand and the United States, an important economic partner of Thailand.

She said the delegation took part in key activities and held wide-ranging talks with both the US public and private sectors.

The visit reflected the Thai government’s commitment to strengthening economic relations with the United States in all dimensions, including trade, investment and cooperation between the public and private sectors.

Thailand stood ready to work closely with all US sectors to drive economic relations towards concrete and sustainable outcomes.

Suphajee said she had attended the SelectUSA Investment Summit 2026 with Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, chairman of the Advisory Board to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Poj Aramwattananont, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade of Thailand, as part of “Team Thailand+”.

The effort brought together the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Thai Chamber of Commerce, together with leading Thai businesspeople, to create opportunities and promote Thai investment in the United States, particularly in sectors where Thailand has potential, such as energy, agro-processing and advanced technology industries.

She said this reflected Thai private-sector confidence in the US economy and Thailand’s role as an important investment partner of the United States.

At the same time, the delegation held talks with representatives of the US Department of Commerce, which received a positive response, with the US side expressing readiness to facilitate Thai private-sector investment in the United States.

It also met private-sector representatives from several US states, including Texas and Utah, which were identified as potential locations for investment in energy, technology and industries of the future.

Those representatives expressed readiness to accommodate Thai investment in the next phase.

Suphajee said leading Thai private-sector participants in the SelectUSA Investment Summit 2026, including energy, petrochemical, food and electronics groups, reflected continuing plans to expand Thai investment in the United States.

Thai investment in the US is currently worth more than US$17 billion and is expected to grow further.

Participation in the event also helped Thai businesses connect with business partners and US government agencies to expand future cooperation in supply chains and target industries.

The delegation also held talks with the US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC), where Suphajee set out her vision to leaders of US private-sector companies and invited them to invest in Thailand.

She emphasised Thailand’s economic policy on strengthening competitiveness, restructuring the economy for the future and promoting target industries, including the future food industry (Food Innovation) and the digital economy (Digital Economy), both sectors with potential to link supply chains between Thailand and the United States.

The US private sector expressed interest in expanding cooperation and investment in Thailand in areas where Thailand and the US have potential and are ready to support each other, including food technology and innovation, tourism and hotels, partnership to support supply-chain resilience and regional co-production, and the use of Thailand as an investment base connected to ASEAN markets.

This reflected confidence in Thailand’s potential as a production base and an important economic partner of the US in the ASEAN region.

US private-sector representatives, particularly leading companies in technology, tourism and manufacturing, showed interest in the direction of Thai policy, especially investment facilitation, workforce skills development and support for SMEs to gain access to markets and technology.

Suphajee explained important government actions, including the improvement of domestic regulations, development of the Skill Bridge project and promotion of technology use to increase convenience and transparency in doing business.

Suphajee said she also used the opportunity to exchange in-depth views with the US private sector and respond to questions on key issues, including energy infrastructure development, digital economy promotion and the upgrading of quality, high-value tourism in line with the “value over volume” policy.

She said this helped build an accurate understanding of Thailand’s economic policy direction and strengthen US investor confidence in Thailand’s potential as an investment destination that is prepared and has a clear development direction.

In addition, she exchanged views on the direction of Thailand’s trade and investment policy, developments in the use of US trade measures and negotiations on a reciprocal trade agreement between Thailand and the United States.

Suphajee gave US businesses confidence in Thailand’s proactive role in moving forward negotiations on the reciprocal trade agreement so they could make progress and reach a conclusion as quickly as possible, while continuing to work with the private sector to strengthen supply chains and deliver balanced outcomes in line with the shared interests of both countries.

The US private sector also viewed Thailand as playing an important role as a production base and supply chain for the region, particularly in technology, digital and electronics industries, which would be important sectors for expanding economic and investment cooperation between Thailand and the United States in the next phase.

“The talks took place in a positive atmosphere, with the US private sector recognising Thailand’s importance in the US supply chain and supporting the steps taken by the Thai government. They saw cooperation between the public and private sectors as an important mechanism for driving Thai-US economic relations closer in the future,” Suphajee said.

In 2025, the United States was Thailand’s second-largest trading partner, with total trade worth more than US$93.65136 billion.

Thai exports to the US were worth US$72.50639 billion, covering key goods such as computers, rubber products, gems, cars and air conditioners.

Thailand imported US$21.14498 billion worth of goods from the US, including crude oil, machinery, aircraft and parts, chemicals and electrical machinery.

Thailand recorded a trade surplus with the US of US$51.36141 billion.