Paetongtarn hosts 40 US firms, promises support for investments
The meeting centred on strengthening bilateral economic ties, with a special focus on clean energy, digital tech and the film industry
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra welcomed the executives of some 40 American companies to Government House on Wednesday and assured them that Thailand was ready to host their investments.
The delegation, part of the US-ASEAN Business Council (USABC), was led by US Ambassador Robert Godec and the council’s vice president Brian McFeeters. They were paying a courtesy call to Paetongtarn to discuss potential business opportunities.
After the meeting, government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub said the prime minister discussed economic cooperation with the executives, whose companies span energy, health, digital technologies, tourism, creative industries, and legal and financial services.
Godec told reporters later that the companies represented more than US$1 billion in business value and that their investments would create over 10,000 jobs in Thailand. He also mentioned that USABC had earlier discussed US-Thai economic cooperation with Thai ministers.
In the meeting, Jirayu said, Paetongtarn recounted her recent trip to Los Angeles, where she said she invited US firms to invest in Thailand’s advanced film industry. She added that Thailand gives US filmmakers a 30% rebate on their investment costs and that 50 Hollywood films had been shot in the kingdom this year.
Jirayu added that the premier also assured the US executives that her government would support investments in clean energy, data centres, semiconductors and digital technologies.
