Thailand’s participation in the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Week (AELW) in Gyeongju, Republic of Korea, represents a significant moment in the country’s diplomatic strategy – a calculated re-engagement built on a foundation of established relationships and targeted objectives. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ (MFA) actions, particularly the Prime Minister’s attendance and related engagements, highlight a deliberate effort to leverage Thailand’s position within the region amidst intensifying geopolitical competition and evolving economic realities. This analysis will examine the key motivations behind Thailand’s approach, the immediate outcomes of the AELW, and potential long-term implications for its regional role.
The overarching theme of APEC 2025 – “Building a Sustainable Tomorrow” – focusing on “Connect. Innovate. Prosper.” – underscores the core challenges and opportunities confronting the Asia-Pacific region. Thailand’s strategy is designed to address these through a multi-pronged approach rooted in its long-standing commitment to multilateralism, particularly through organizations like ASEAN and APEC. Recent developments, including the ASEAN Summit concluded just prior to the AELW, clearly demonstrate a prioritization of regional collaboration as a stabilizing force. The timing of Thailand’s focus is particularly relevant, given the ongoing energy crisis and global supply chain disruptions, issues that deeply affect Southeast Asian economies and necessitate a coordinated regional response.
Key Stakeholders and Motivations:
Several factors drive Thailand’s diplomatic strategy during this period. Firstly, the country faces significant economic headwinds, including energy price volatility and the need to diversify its export markets beyond traditional destinations like China. Secondly, the ongoing tensions surrounding the South China Sea and the broader geopolitical competition between the United States and China create a complex operating environment. Thailand’s strategic location – a key transit point between these competing spheres – necessitates a careful balancing act. Finally, the MFA’s stated goals align with a desire to solidify Thailand’s leadership role within ASEAN and further enhance its influence within APEC. The “Bridge. Business. Beyond.” theme of the Prime Minister’s speech at the APEC CEO Summit embodies this ambition.
Immediate Outcomes and Bilateral Discussions:
The Prime Minister’s attendance at AELW and subsequent bilateral meetings with leaders from key economies—Republic of Korea, People’s Republic of China, Canada, Australia, and Brunei Darussalam—were undoubtedly designed to safeguard Thailand’s economic interests and foster diplomatic ties. Reports indicate discussions centered on strengthening trade and investment linkages, particularly in sectors aligning with Thailand’s industrial policy, and securing access to critical resources. The dinner hosted in honor of high-level representatives attending APEC 2025, emphasizing digital collaboration, suppression of online scams, promotion of ease of doing business, and regional supply chain strengthening, reflects a strategic acknowledgement of contemporary regional concerns. The focus on combating online fraud, for instance, mirrors ASEAN’s broader efforts to tackle trans-national crime.
Looking Ahead: Short-Term (6 Months) and Long-Term (5-10 Years):
Over the next six months, Thailand is likely to continue pursuing the agenda established at AELW, focusing on facilitating investment, promoting trade, and participating actively in APEC’s working groups. Maintaining close relationships with key trading partners, particularly China and South Korea, will remain paramount. However, given the rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific, Thailand’s ability to navigate this landscape effectively will be crucial. The success of its diplomatic efforts will depend on its ability to maintain open communication channels and foster trust-building measures.
Longer-term, Thailand’s role within APEC could be further shaped by the evolving geopolitical order. The country’s commitment to multilateralism will be tested. If Thailand can successfully advocate for a rules-based system that supports open trade and investment, it can solidify its position as a regional anchor. However, if it becomes increasingly isolated or aligned with a single power, its influence will diminish. The MFA’s strategic focus on digital collaboration and supply chain resilience, initiatives initiated during AELW, are likely to become increasingly important as the world adapts to a new era of technological disruption and geopolitical uncertainty. This strategy may be instrumental in ensuring Thailand’s long-term economic stability and influence within the Asia-Pacific region.
During 30 October – 1 November 2025, H.E. Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Minister of Foreign Affairs, is attending the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week (AELW) 2025 and related meetings as part of the Thai delegation led by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, in Gyeongju, the Republic of Korea. This meeting follows the ASEAN Summit that recently concluded.
This year’s APEC theme “Building a Sustainable Tomorrow”, emphasizes three key concepts, namely “Connect. Innovate. Prosper.”
Connect means fostering economic integration to promote seamless trade and investment while strengthening a rules-based multilateral trading system;
Innovate means promoting the use of digital technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) as drivers of future economic growth; and
Prosper means advancing sustainable growth and regional economic resilience to address global economic challenges, particularly structural and demographic transitions such as aging societies.
The key objectives of the Thai delegation during this meeting include:
To reaffirm Thailand’s commitment to the multilateral system.
Regional organizations such as ASEAN and APEC, are critical building blocks of multilateralism, that enable countries and economies to effectively manage intensifying geopolitical and geoeconomic competition.
To strengthen relations with APEC economies and regional business communities. On this occasion, the Prime Minister and the Minister
of Foreign Affairs will hold bilateral discussions with leaders from
key APEC economies such as the Republic of Korea, the People’s Republic of China, Canada, Australia, and Brunei Darussalam,
as well as engage with representatives from the private sector attending the meeting, and;
To build on the outcomes of APEC 2022 hosted by Thailand, particularly by advancing implementation of the Bangkok Goals and related initiatives launched during that period.
The Prime Minister will also have the opportunity to exchange views with leading private sector figures from across the Asia-Pacific region especially at the APEC CEO Summit where he will deliver a special speech under the theme “Bridge. Business. Beyond.”.
On 29 October 2025, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs commenced their first mission – a dinner hosted in honour of high-level representatives attending APEC 2025. On this occasion, the Prime Minister emphasized three key areas of cooperation, namely digital collaboration (including on the suppression of online scams) – a theme that has been emphasized since the ASEAN Summit, promoting ease of doing business, and strengthening of regional supply chains.