The Commerce Minister stated that Google has expressed an interest in growing its investment in Thai government-related tasks.
Commerce Minister Pichai Naripthaphan and Google executives had discussions about developing collaboration in the online economy, improving cybersecurity, and investing in innovative technologies in Thailand during his trip to the US next month.
Common project investments were a key topic of conversation during their discussions. Google is strong on increasing its investment in Thai government-related jobs, especially in cloud service and data centres.
The United Arab Emirates is interested in setting up data centers in Thailand, according to him, while big international tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have already made significant investments there.
Developing Defa
Mr. Pichai added that Google is eager to support the development of an agreement as an international standard for digital economy collaboration and acknowledges Thailand’s role as chair of the Asean Digital Economy Framework Agreement‘s ( Defa ) negotiations.
He emphasized the president’s desire to establish Defa as a comprehensive, high-quality digital economy deal that encourages the development of the digital sector.
Intellectual property rights were identified as a crucial area of focus, particularly in adapting legitimate systems to modern technology like AI.
The Defa negotiations are expected to be finished by this year, which, if successful, would lead to the first local digital economy agreement in the world and would increase Asean’s involvement in online cooperation, including the US.
According to Mr. Pichai, the discussion also highlighted the need to strengthen cybersecurity infrastructure to secure data and net transactions on a global scale.
They even discussed the regulatory framework for the modern economy and possible obstacles that might prevent trade and investment.
Also, Mr. Pichai offered to work with Google to create a super software for the Ministry of Commerce to increase the efficiency of public projects, to which Google responded with a “yes” response.
Broad US attention
Mr. Pichai also spoke with members from the US Chamber of Commerce and the US-Asean Business Council, in addition to Google.
He met with representatives from more than 26 leading British firms including Nasdaq, FedEx, the Asia Group, PepsiCo, IBM, Mars, Citi, Organin, Intel, Vriens &, Partners, ConocoPhillips, Caterpillar, Seagate, Tyson Food, Apple, DGA-Albright, Stonebridge Group, BowerGroupAsia, S&, P Global, Visa, Boeing, Dow, Cargill, 3M and Viatris.
In 2024, the US was Thailand’s second-largest buying companion, with complete business value exceeding US$ 74.4 billion.
The US continues to be Thailand’s best trade marketplace, contributing$ 54.9 billion in exports, which includes essential items such as computers, plastic items, stones, automobiles and air conditioning units.
The value of imports from the US amounted to$ 19.5 billion, which includes crude oil, machinery and chemicals.
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