Summary of Press Briefing During the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Week (AELW) 30 October 2025

Summary of Press Briefing

During the 32^nd APEC Economic Leaders' Week (AELW)

By the Director-General of the Department of Information and the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

on 30 October 2025 at 19:00 hrs.
Gyeongju, Republic of Korea

1. The Participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the 36th APEC Ministerial Meeting (AMM)

• On the morning of 30 October 2025, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, together with the Minister of Commerce, attended the 36^th APEC Ministerial Meeting (AMM), and joined in on the exchange of views on the role of innovation in promoting sustainable and inclusive growth for the well-being of people across the region.
• The Foreign Minister stressed APEC's critical role amidst geopolitical challenges and ongoing digital transformation, particularly those from online scams. Thailand's commitment to this issue is reflected in our push to establish an Online Scams Information Exchange Forum within the APEC framework. This is a continued effort on our side to the proposed convening of an international meeting on combating online scams during the recent ASEAN Summit.
• The Foreign Minister also emphasized cooperation on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI governance, the development of a sustainable and inclusive digital ecosystem, and the implementation of the Bangkok Goals, Thailand's initiative during our APEC host year in 2022.

2. Participation in the 2025 APEC CEO Summit

• The Prime Minister attended the 2025 APEC CEO Summit and delivered a keynote address under the theme "Bridge. Business. Beyond.". He underscored the importance of regional cooperation amidst the current weakening of the multilateral system while highlighting Thailand's "Quick Big Wins" policy to ensure a comprehensive and sustainable broad-based transformation on three fronts, which are:
  • First, reducing economic inequality - particularly through the "Khon La Khrueng Plus" or "Let's go Half plus" co-payment scheme, aimed at stimulating domestic spending, reducing household burden, and promoting digital inclusion.
  • Second, enhancing business opportunities and access to financing, especially for SMEs, and ensuring a safe digital transition for all, which requires cooperation to combat online scams at both regional and global levels.
  • Last, developing future industries in partnership with leading global companies, most of whom are already operating in Thailand. This is in line with our agenda to advance national capacity through such collaboration vis-à-vis sustainable green transformation.

3. Discussion with US-APEC Business Coalition

• The Prime Minister also engaged in a discussion with the US-APEC Business Coalition, comprising of over 19 leading American companies such as Microsoft, Deloitte, Mastercard and Google.
• The two sides exchanged views on the long-standing partnership between Thailand and the US business community. The Prime Minister reaffirmed the Government's short-term economic stimulus policies designed to generate long-term economic momentum, as well as Thailand's readiness to strengthen cooperation in high-potential sectors.
• Moreover, the Prime Minister also emphasized Thailand's investment policy, which focuses on creating a business-friendly ecosystem through regulatory improvements, workforce development, and the use of innovation to drive economic growth. He also highlighted Thailand's efforts to promote future industries, including pilot projects under the Eastern Economic Corridor or EEC Sandbox aimed at developing human resources and building an innovative ecosystem to support targeted industries.

4. The Prime Minister's Bilateral Meetings

• The Prime Minister held bilateral discussions with the President of the Republic of Korea and the Prime Minister of Canada.

4.1 The bilateral discussions with President of the Republic of Korea

• During the discussions with the South Korean President, both sides agreed to strengthen economic cooperation, particularly in the areas of clean energy, creative economy, and defense industry, which align with Thailand's development priorities.
• Building upon their discussion on the sidelines of the recent ASEAN Summit, the two leaders reaffirmed the importance of regional cooperation in addressing online scams. The Prime Minister reiterated Thailand's strong commitment to safeguarding Korean nationals in Thailand and expressed readiness to continue to work closely and to enhance cooperation with the Republic of Korea to prevent the further spread of such criminal networks.

4.2 The bilateral discussion with the Prime Minister of Canada

• In the meeting with the Canadian Prime Minister, the Prime Minister highlighted the shared policy priorities between the two countries, particularly in the fields of science, clean energy, food security, and digital technology.
• The two sides also discussed the issue of transnational crime, with Canada reaffirming its cooperation on law enforcement and anti-transnational crime efforts in the Indo-Pacific region, especially in the areas of cybersecurity and information sharing - issues that Thailand and the global community attach great importance to.

5. Meeting with Executives from the Private Sector

• The Prime Minister also held discussions with executives from SK Bioscience Company - a leading South Korean vaccine manufacturer. Building upon the MoU between SK Bioscience and the Government Pharmaceutical Organization of Thailand on the production of cell-based influenza vaccines, Thailand can use this opportunity to enhance its self-reliance and health security and to foster regional cooperation in the health sector in the future.

6. Bilateral Meetings of the Minister of Foreign Affairs

• The Foreign Minister also held bilateral meetings with his Australian and Papua New Guinean counterparts.
• The discussions focused on strengthening cooperation in economic relations, trade, agriculture, public health, and tourism. They also exchanged views on key regional and global developments of mutual interest.