French investors eye future industries in Thailand after Anutin’s Paris visit

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul held talks at Government House today (June 4) with François Corbin, vice chairman of MEDEF International and chairman of the France-Thailand Business Council, together with Jean-Claude Poimboeuf, French Ambassador to Thailand, and a MEDEF International business delegation comprising 16 companies from five key sectors.

The sectors included aviation, aerospace and defence; engineering and consulting; construction and transport; digital and technology; and energy production and management.

The meeting followed up on the success of the prime minister’s visit to Paris last week.

The main aim of the talks was to attract new investment into Thailand, particularly in future industries such as aviation and aerospace, clean energy, digital technology, artificial intelligence and quantum technology. These sectors are expected to create high-quality jobs, increase income, upgrade the skills of Thai workers and promote more concrete investment and cooperation in Thailand.

The prime minister said Thailand is moving ahead with the restructuring of its economy towards one driven by innovation, technology and high-value industries, which aligns with the expertise of French businesses. He said this creates an important opportunity to bring new investment, technology and knowledge into Thailand.

French businesses expressed confidence in Thailand’s potential and showed interest in investing further in several key projects, including aircraft maintenance centres, sustainable aviation fuel production, clean energy systems and modern digital technologies.

They said they were not only bringing investment capital, but were also ready to transfer technology and develop Thai personnel at the same time.

During the talks, several leading French companies clearly expressed interest in expanding cooperation with Thailand.

Airbus sees Thailand’s potential to become a regional aviation industry hub and is interested in jointly developing aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities, as well as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production. These projects would help create high-skilled jobs, expand opportunities for Thai entrepreneurs and upgrade the country’s aviation industry.

EDF, France’s energy leader, sees opportunities to jointly develop clean energy, energy storage systems and modern power grids to support industrial growth and future energy demand. These efforts would help strengthen energy security and support Thailand’s transition towards a green economy.

Dassault Systèmes proposed cooperation on Digital Twin technology, which could be used for urban planning, infrastructure management, disaster forecasting and response, and workforce skills development. The technology would help both the public and private sectors plan and manage resources more efficiently.

Pasqal, a leading French quantum technology company, sees Thailand’s potential to become a quantum technology hub in Southeast Asia. It is ready to cooperate in developing a quantum computing ecosystem, which would help build a high-skilled workforce, support future technology industries and strengthen the country’s long-term competitiveness.

Beyond investment, French businesses also stressed their readiness to transfer technology, develop workforce skills and work with Thai universities and educational institutions to create a new generation of personnel suited to future industries. This would directly benefit Thai people in terms of education, employment and income.

At the end of the talks, the prime minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to creating an investment-friendly environment. He also pledged to push ahead with the Thailand-European Union Free Trade Agreement and Thailand’s bid to join the OECD, in order to raise the standards of the Thai economy, open new trade opportunities and build confidence among global investors.

The prime minister also shared good news that the Thai stock market had broken through the 1,600-point level during intraday trading for the first time in three years and two months, reflecting investor confidence.

He said the talks in Bangkok showed that cooperation that began in Paris was now being developed into concrete ideas, opportunities and partnerships. Thailand is ready to work closely with the French private sector to turn interest into real results in the next phase.