The Board of Investment (BoI) expects its latest roadshows in the US to draw more American businesses to invest in high-tech industries in Thailand, including those related to digital technology, under its five-year investment promotion strategy.
The roadshows were organised in Seattle and San Francisco from Feb 1-3.
During the three-day event, the BoI met with executives from various companies, including Amazon Web Services, Google, Microsoft and Western Digital, about investing and expanding their businesses in Thailand.
"We expect US companies will be interested in investing in targeted industries promoted by the government," said Narit Therdsteerasukdi, secretary-general of the BoI.
Under the five-year strategy, to be implemented from 2023 to 2027, the BoI supports investment in high-tech, green and smart industries, as well as businesses driven by creativity and innovation, all of which are believed to drive a new economy and increase competitiveness.
The board also wants to promote the electric vehicle (EV) industry and businesses relating to bio-, circular and green (BCG) economic development.
BCG, which encourages manufacturers to adopt techniques that add value to their products and cause little or no impact on the environment, was declared a national agenda item by the Prayut Chan-o-cha administration.
In 2021, the National EV Policy Committee announced it wants EVs to constitute 50% of locally made vehicles by 2030, part of an ambitious plan to make Thailand a regional EV hub.
According to the BoI, the Thai government is keen on American business investment here because of their expertise in digital and information technology as well as supply chains.
Many US companies are interested in various issues concerning investment in Thailand, said Mr Narit.
"They asked the government about the application for long-term resident visas, renewable energy plans and Thailand's free trade agreements," he said.
Last year the US carried out 33 investment projects in Thailand worth 50.3 billion baht.
Most of these projects invested in the digital and electronics sectors.
