On 28 September 2023 Mr. Piyapan Atipatya, Deputy Consul-General of Thailand in Kolkata attended the Indo-Pacific Economic Conclave in Kolkata, which was co-organised by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCC&I) and the Ministry of External Affairs of India, alongside Ms. Prim Jitcharoongphorn, Deputy Secretary-General of the Board of Trade of Thailand and President of Thailand-India Business Council, who represented Thai private sector via teleconference. The Conclave provided a platform for exchanging views on ways to promote trade and investment between Thailand and India and among Indo-Pacific economies. Representatives of Chambers of Commerce and trade promotion agencies from the US, Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) as well as around 200 Indian businesspersons attended the Conclave.

Ms. Prim Jitcharoongphorn called for greater utilisation of India-Thailand Joint Business Forum (ITJBF), which was established under the joint initiative of the Prime Ministers of Thailand and India in 2016, to facilitate the ease of doing business for both countries’ private sectors including advising on rules and regulations for trade and investment. In 2022, the bilateral trade between Thailand and India reached a record high of 17.7 billion USD. In addition, Thai private sector can share knowledge for Indian private sector in the areas Thailand possesses expertise such as agriculture industry, food processing, construction and building materials, tourism and medical service.

Moreover, the Conclave also discussed on BCC&I’s proposal to establish a common forum entitled ‘Association of Indo-Pacific Chambers of Commerce’ as an advisory body to promote cooperation among Chambers of Commerce in the Indo-Pacific region. Many participating Chambers of Commerce showed interest in the said proposal and agreed to continue the discussion in details.