WEF provided platform to woo investors, project Thai soft power: PM

SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 2025
WEF provided platform to woo investors, project Thai soft power: PM

Thailand's team achieved success in wooing investment and promoting Thai soft power during the three-day World Economic Forum (WEF) 2025 in Davos, Switzerland, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said on Friday.

Government spokesman Jirayu Huangsap said the PM made the remarks in an interview with the Television Pool of Thailand before taking a flight back to Bangkok.

The premier noted that Thailand’s team, comprising government ministers and trade representatives, had met several top executives, including from DP World, Nestlé, Coca-Cola, Bayer AG, AstraZeneca, Salesforce, Google, Pepsi, Grab and Amazon Web Services, and country leaders.

She confirmed that those companies showed interest to invest in Thailand. “Many companies that have invested in Thailand would invest more, while new companies would invest in the country soon,” she said.

Paetongtarn said she had met leaders from several countries, including Switzerland, Armenia, Kosovo and Bangladesh, as well as WEF founder Klaus Schwab. These meetings helped boost Thailand’s recognition regionally and globally, she said. 

She said several talks and activities during the forum enabled Thailand to promote cultural exchange with other countries, especially those in Europe.

Thailand’s team had received praise among forum attendees for hosting a lunch reception, featuring Thai delicacies and culture, she added. 

The premier emphasised that Thailand had signed a historic free trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), comprising Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. 

This signing would offer an opportunity for Thailand to export goods to European countries, she said.

Paetongtarn asserted that this WEF had helped boost confidence that Thailand was ready to be a partner for multinational companies in terms of strategic location and food security.

She affirmed that the government has policies to promote a digital economy, technology and human resource development, as well as readiness to facilitate investment for sustainable growth.

The government will promote Thai soft power as a new economic engine to generate revenue for the country, including art, culture and food, she said, adding that Muay Thai, Thai food and textiles are popular among foreigners.

She added that attending the forum also met the government’s plan to keep up with new global trends, such as green economy, artificial intelligence for healthcare and development of the new generation workforce.

 

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