Australia is seeking a broader and more resilient partnership with Thailand, with new ambassador Pablo Kang identifying trade and supply chains, artificial intelligence, transnational crime, clean energy and Thailand’s OECD ambitions as key areas for deeper cooperation.
Speaking to the media recently, Mr Kang said the relationship already has strong foundations in defence and security, but there is growing scope to deepen cooperation in economic resilience, technology and other emerging areas.
Mr Kang, who took up his duties this month after being named to the post on July 5, previously served as ambassador to Cambodia from 2020 to 2023, where his work included transnational crime, online scam centres and narcotics trafficking.
He said Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s recent visit to Australia, including a business delegation, had opened further opportunities for economic engagement.
Strengthening supply chains could help expand two-way trade and investment, while AI is emerging as another area for cooperation.
“Both Thailand and Australia are working on legislation governing AI and measures to mitigate online harms,” he said, adding the countries could exchange expertise and coordinate their approaches.
Security cooperation is also expected to expand during his tenure.
Mr Kang said Thailand’s strategic location brings significant trade and investment opportunities but also exposes it to transnational crime, including drug trafficking, illicit tobacco and online scams.
“Tobacco is a more recent development. Certainly methamphetamine has long been an issue, and some of the harder drugs like heroin, very much so,” he said.
“Online scam centres are also a relatively recent development, and of course they end up flourishing in what we call ungoverned spaces on the borders between countries.”
Under the Joint Plan of Action on transnational crime, Australia will support Thailand through police and criminal intelligence cooperation, including work with the Interior Ministry, Customs and other law enforcement agencies.
“Australia has had decades of close defence and military-to-military collaboration with Thailand, including His Majesty, who went to Australia to study at our Defence College at Duntroon,” Mr Kang said.
Another priority is Australia’s support for Thailand’s bid to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the ambassador said.
A meeting planned for early next month will bring together the government and more than 50 private-sector representatives who have visited Australia in recent years to discuss competition policy, competitive neutrality involving state-owned enterprises, political integrity and other reforms required for accession.
The discussions will also help prepare Thailand for a World Bank event in October and a meeting with the OECD secretary-general in November.
Mr Kang also sees clean energy as an area with strong potential for cooperation, saying Australian green-technology expertise could support Thailand’s transition towards cleaner energy and its target of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
Culture, meanwhile, offers another avenue for strengthening ties.
During Mr Anutin’s visit, Australia’s prime minister presented him with a collection of vinyl records by Midnight Oil, one of Australia’s best-known rock bands of the 1980s and 1990s.
“Australian love of arts and culture is also aligned with Thailand’s culture,” Mr Kang said, pointing to opportunities in the creative economy.
These include a proposed cultural project with Asset World Corporation on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, expected to draw on the curatorial, design and artistic expertise of Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art over the next three years.
For Mr Kang, the relationship is also underpinned by strong people-to-people links and cultural familiarity. Among his favourite Thai dishes are khao soi, tom kha gai and tom yum goong.
He said Thailand’s strategic position, economic potential and cultural ties make it an important partner for Australia.
In an uncertain global environment, Mr Kang said the breadth of cooperation — from security and trade to technology, energy and culture — gives both countries a stronger base for a more resilient partnership.