Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday met Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun in New Delhi to discuss ways to deepen bilateral trade and investment, strengthen business-to-business ties and advance the review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA).
The meeting was held at Vanijya Bhawan and focused on strengthening the India-Thailand economic partnership through greater collaboration, expanded business opportunities and stronger private-sector linkages.
The two ministers discussed measures to increase bilateral trade and investment by promoting collaboration and co-creating solutions that could support balanced and sustainable growth in economic ties.
They also stressed the importance of strengthening trade promotion activities in both countries to expand business networks, facilitate greater interaction between enterprises and create new market opportunities for companies from India and Thailand.
The ministers reviewed progress in the ongoing AITIGA review and emphasised the need for deeper bilateral engagement through the India-Thailand Joint Trade Committee (JTC) in a time-bound manner.
Both sides underlined the importance of developing a balanced and mutually beneficial trade framework that can improve market access and generate new opportunities for businesses in the two countries.
Goyal and Suthumpun also interacted with a delegation of Thai businesses operating across a range of sectors, including space technology, cold-chain logistics, food processing, innovation, health and wellness, and trade and investment promotion.
The discussions come against the backdrop of longstanding civilisational, cultural and economic ties between India and Thailand. The two countries also share a strategic partnership and have been working to expand bilateral trade and investment while encouraging greater cooperation between their private sectors.
Existing bilateral mechanisms have focused on facilitating trade, addressing market-access concerns and strengthening India’s and Thailand’s integration with regional and global supply chains.
The meeting reaffirmed the commitment of both countries to further deepen economic engagement, strengthen business partnerships and build a robust, balanced and mutually beneficial trade and investment relationship.
