Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul will visit Singapore on Nov 7 to strengthen bilateral cooperation, said Foreign Affairs Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow, who was in the city state on Wednesday to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations.
Mr Sihasak, who met Singapore’s foreign minister, Vivian Balakrishnan, on Tuesday, said both sides are preparing for the Thai prime minister’s official visit.
The main focus will be expanding cooperation in the green economy, food technology and food security.
Singapore, in particular, has shown interest in securing additional rice supplies from Thailand.
During their meeting, the ministers discussed supporting Singapore’s food security through trade agreements on rice and agricultural products, attracting Singaporean investment in target industries such as data centres and semiconductors and enhancing collaboration in public health, the digital economy and the green economy.
The two also exchanged views on regional issues, including reinforcing Asean unity, addressing the impact of US tariff measures and discussing the situation in Myanmar and Cambodia.
In this regard, Thailand emphasised the importance of resolving Cambodian-related issues peacefully through bilateral mechanisms and expressed hope that Cambodia would cooperate sincerely.
Mr Sihasak also said he co-chaired the 15th Civil Service Exchange Programme (CSEP) during his Oct 21-22 visit.
The programme, themed “Partners in Progress: Shaping a Green and Digital Future,” brought together senior officials from both countries to promote sustainable economic growth and human resource development.
Other key areas include Thailand aiming to attract further investment from Singapore, said Mr Sihasak.
Currently, Singapore has the largest investment value in Thailand, particularly in data centres, electric vehicles (EVs) and clean energy.
Thailand aims to renew its existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on digital cooperation with Singapore to ensure continuity.
Thailand is Asean’s chair for digital cooperation framework negotiations.
The country is also looking to join the Digital Economic Partnership Agreement, which currently includes Singapore, South Korea, Chile, and New Zealand, said the minister.
Thailand’s PromptPay and Singapore’s PayNow digital payment systems could be integrated into a regional network under “Nexus Pay” to simplify cross-border payments, it was discussed.