Suphajee Suthumpun, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce of Thailand, demonstrated the country’s proactive approach to economic diplomacy at the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting – APEC MRT 2026 in China’s Suzhou on May 22-23, 2026, by achieving key bilateral trade talks along with advancing digital and green supply chains.
It is well to be noted that the commerce minister participated in activities with 21 member economies under the aegis of China’s host theme of keeping trade open, predictable and robust. The minister told the assembly that she had proposed to reduce regulatory gaps for building adaptable supply chains and highlighted the ability of Thailand to be a leader in food security, digital transitions, high-value agriculture, as well as small and medium-sized enterprise – SME development.
On the domestic front, the deputy prime minister cited broad-based ease of doing business alterations that made Thailand a top regional logistics hub.
These involve regulatory streamlining through the Business Data Exchange – BDEX network, the Omnibus Law, and the Board of Investment’s – BOI FastPass rapid approval track. They are paired with paper-less customs processes, AI-driven precision agriculture, community solar grids, as well as carbon credit marketplaces to allow Thai businesses in advancing digital and green supply chains.
In addition to this, the commerce minister also held strategic bilateral discussions with major partners on the sidelines of the conference. She updated Ambassador Rick Switzer, the U.S. Deputy Trade Representative on the status of the in-progress Thailand-U.S. Agreement on Reciprocal Trade – ART and expressed her desire to conclude it quickly to build confidence among the private-sector investors. She met Australian delegates to promote investment when it comes to clean energy and digital commerce and participated in high level talks with the Deputy Prime Minister of China as well as Singapore’s Trade Minister. The Deputy Prime Minister emphasised that APEC MRT 2026 engagement is a chance to promote economic interests of Thailand, boost trade and investment possibilities, improve access to markets, and strengthen Thailand’s standing of being a trustworthy economic partner.
APEC continues to be the primary trade market of Thailand, with 2-way trade of 16.3 trillion baht which is equivalent to USD 495 billion in 2025, making up 72.24% of the total trade worldwide of Thailand.
