US tariff policy to position Thailand as IT manufacturing hub, says DEPA

The agency’s director-general Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin said Thailand would gain the opportunity to attract IT entrepreneurs thanks to its strategic location and neutral role on the global stage.

He expects IT product competition will depend on tax barriers in the future as China has developed its technology to match Western countries. He believes that the Thai Commerce Ministry can negotiate on mitigating tax barriers' impact on trading.

Nuttapon expects the Thai digital industry to grow by 12-13% this year, saying that artificial intelligence (AI) would disrupt people’s jobs.

“DEPA will discuss with Digital Economy and Society Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong on Thailand’s policy to cope with this change,” he said.

He asserted that DEPA is promoting Thai tech companies and startups to develop digital products that can penetrate the global market.

This year, the 200,000 baht funding for 200 startups will focus on further development of their innovative ideas, he said, adding that leading companies like Google, Huawei, Microsoft and Amazon Web Services would be allowed to join the project.

DEPA is a government agency with 160 startups in the portfolio worth more than 5,000 million baht, the largest investor in Asia, he added.