French business leaders have expressed interest in investing in Thailand's aviation, clean energy and digital sectors, citing strong growth potential, skilled workforce development and solid technology transfer opportunities.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul met with François Corbin, vice president of the Mouvement des Entreprises de France (MEDEF) International and chairman of the France–Thailand Business Forum (FTBF), along with French Ambassador to Thailand HE Jean-Claude Poimboeuf and representatives from 16 French companies on Thursday.
The meeting followed up on Mr Anutin's recent visit to Paris and focused on encouraging investment in future-oriented industries, including aerospace, clean energy, digital technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing. The government believes these sectors will create high-quality jobs, raise incomes, enhance workforce skills and generate tangible economic benefits for Thailand.
Mr Anutin said Thailand is restructuring its economy toward innovation-driven growth, advanced technology and high-value industries. He noted that this direction aligns closely with the expertise of French companies, creating opportunities to attract investment, technology and knowledge transfer.
Among the companies represented, Airbus highlighted Thailand's potential to become a regional aviation hub and expressed interest in developing maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) centres and supporting sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production. French energy giant EDF identified opportunities in clean energy generation, energy storage systems and modern power grids to strengthen Thailand's energy security and support its transition toward a green economy.
Dassault Systèmes proposed cooperation in digital twin technology. This could be applied to urban planning, infrastructure management, disaster preparedness and workforce development.
