The Prime Minister welcomed a delegation of 16 major French companies, building on the success from the recent visit to Paris, and helped push the Thai stock market above 1,600 points for the first time in over three years.
On 4 June 2026, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul met with François Corbin, Vice President of the French Employers' Council Abroad (MEDEOF International) and Chairman of the French-Thai Business Council, along with Jean-Claude Poimboeuf, Ambassador of the French Republic to Thailand, and business representatives from 16 leading companies. These firms span five key economic sectors: aviation, aerospace and defense; engineering; construction and transportation; digital technology; and energy technology. This meeting followed swiftly on the tangible successes achieved during the Prime Minister’s visit to Paris last week.
The Prime Minister stated that Thailand is currently restructuring its economy toward innovation- and technology-driven high-value sectors, aligning perfectly with the expertise of the French business community. The main goal is to attract new investments into future industries to generate jobs and upgrade Thai workforce skills. At the same time, French investors expressed strong confidence in Thailand’s potential and showed interest in expanding investments in several major projects. They emphasized not only capital inflows but also the transfer of advanced technology and collaboration with Thai educational institutions to sustainably develop the next generation of talent.
During the company-level discussions, clear progress was noted. Aviation giant Airbus expressed interest in developing an aircraft maintenance center (MRO) and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production to establish Thailand as a regional aviation hub. EDF, a global energy leader, saw opportunities to co-develop energy storage systems and modern electric grids to support the green economy. In advanced technology, Dassault Systèmes proposed using its Digital Twin city simulation software for urban planning and disaster management, while quantum computing leader Pasqal plans to help build a quantum computing ecosystem, positioning Thailand as a Southeast Asian center for quantum technology.
At the conclusion of the talks, the Prime Minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to creating a fully supportive investment environment, including expediting the Thailand–European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and preparing for OECD membership to raise Thailand’s economic standards internationally. He also shared good news that the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Index had surged past 1,600 points during the day for the first time in 3 years and 2 months, signaling strong global investor confidence in Thailand’s economy. He emphasized that today’s discussions have transformed "interest" from Paris into concrete "results" here in Thailand.