Thai prime minister in Hong Kong to meet business leaders, officials in bid to ‘promote country and encourage investment’
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin arrived in Hong Kong on Sunday and met business leaders in a bid to “promote Thailand and encourage investment”, according to an ex-convenor of a top advisory body to the city’s government.
“He is here to promote Thailand and encourage us to invest in Thailand,” Bernard Chan, former Executive Council convenor, told the Post. “He is very familiar with Hong Kong [and] as a business man he comes here regularly.”
Thavisin met Chan alongside several prominent figures, including Hospital Authority chairman Henry Fan Hung-ling, Trade Development Council head Peter Lam Kin-ngok, business tycoon Allan Zeman and HSBC group executive Surendra Rosha.
“Since [Thavisin] is from the business sector, he is very aware of the capital market and the role of Hong Kong,” Chan added. “He welcomes investors to invest in Thailand and he will help to facilitate a business-friendly environment to welcome investors.”
The prime minister is set to have lunch with Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Monday amid a full day of meetings with business leaders.
Lee met Thavisin’s predecessor, Prayuth Chan-ocha, last November while attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Bangkok.
Hong Kong to host major exhibition industry summit in 2025 at AsiaWorld-Expo
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The chief executive was seeking Thailand’s support for the city’s early entry into the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the world’s largest free-trade organisation.
Thavisin co-founded one of Thailand’s largest real estate developers Sansiri in 1988, becoming a property tycoon and billionaire.
He assumed office as the 30th prime minister of Thailand in August this year and is said to have a close relationship with predecessor Thaksin Shinawatra.
Thai prime minister to meet John Lee during 3-day Hong Kong trip
Thai prime minister to meet John Lee during 3-day Hong Kong trip
The meeting comes as Lee continues to work to expand Hong Kong’s role in Southeast Asia, with a string of new trade agreements signed with other countries this year.
In 2022, Hong Kong’s foreign direct investment in Thailand reached almost US$50 million (HK$391.6 million), while bilateral trade was just under US$20 million, making the city the country’s fourth-largest investor.
