Dinner talk brings Thai and Chinese entrepreneurs together
Over 200 Thai and Chinese entrepreneurs as well as foreign investors joined an exclusive dinner talk on Monday in Bangkok that provided business matching and investment opportunities in the Southern China, a high potential area with a population of more than 600 million.
The event titled “TSC Trade Exclusive Dinner Talk 2024” was hosted by the Thai–South China Trade Subcommittee (TSC Trade) under the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade of Thailand (TCC).
TSC Trade president Chaochai Jiamwijit noted that the South China region is a high-potential area, a hive of economic activities and is close to Thailand, with flights from Bangkok taking only about 2 hours.
“Thai products and foods are very popular with the more than 600 million residents in this area, which should help contribute to the country’s overall exports,” he said. “Moreover, South China is home to the Xishuangbanna prefecture, a popular tourist destination in southwestern Yunnan province that welcomes 70 million-plus arrivals each year.”
Chaochai pointed out that more than 300 Thai businesses and shops were operating in Xishuangbanna before the Covid-19 outbreak but closed as the pandemic took hold. With Covid-19 now over, the opportunity was ripe for Thai businesses to return to Xishuangbanna.
TCC vice chairman Pairat Burapachaisri added that the council hosted the event hoping to see cooperation between Thai and Chinese business leaders amidst the challenges in the post-Covid era.
“Inflation, rising interest rates and technological advancement have reshaped the economic landscape in South China, so Thai and Chinese operators need to work together to fulfill market demands,” he said. “Our hope was for the dinner talk to provide a stage where Thai and Chinese business people could exchange their know-how in trade and technology, as well as find new partners that could lead to future business cooperation.”
Also joining the dinner talk was Thanee Temboonyasak, chief financial officer of sports promoter Thai Fight, which aims to open 10,000 Muay Thai gyms in China in the next five years.
“Muay Thai is very popular in China, but several gyms and training centres there lack Thai trainers who have in-depth knowledge of the sport,” he said. “We aim to find local partners that would help Thai Fight expand the Muay Thai gyms throughout the mainland, which will open the door to related businesses including Thai foods and Thai massage.”
