Supajee rallies Thai industry to adapt to the new world, ready to boost the competitive edge of Made in Thailand goods, championing bioenergy — both ethanol and biodiesel — as well as semiconductors and photonics, while tasking TDRI with reviewing industrial index calculations to better reflect the real economy. She reveals that trade negotiations with the United States are set for late August.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Supajee Suthumpun visited the Ministry of Industry to conduct an inspection and deliver policy directives, with Industry Minister Varawut Silpa-archa and senior agency executives attending the meeting on 13 August 2026.
Supajee said the government aims to strengthen the Thai economy from its domestic base while maintaining its competitive edge in the global market. The National Industrial Council, or NIC, had not convened together for approximately four years, during which time geopolitics and global industrial structures have changed rapidly, making it necessary to identify new S-Curve industries and determine which industries should continue to receive support.
"The NIC has been suspended for a long time, leaving five to six draft laws that need to be revisited — including the Factory Act, the Industrial Waste Act, the Palm Oil Act, and related new regulations. These must be reviewed thoroughly before being submitted to the Cabinet, to ensure they cover both the present and future world."
She also raised the matter of opening up the government procurement market to domestically produced goods, raw materials, components, and services — particularly in three high-value, strategically important industries: the defense industry, rail systems, and medical devices — through government procurement and Green Procurement.
Supajee said the public sector will create demand for these industries before expanding to private and overseas markets, by granting preferential advantages to Made in Thailand (MiT) goods, but without lowering standards. Products using Thai components must meet international standards and have clear Local Content criteria.
The Ministry of Industry has been tasked with linking "research–production–market–investment" through the GMT SMEs mechanism of the Department of Industrial Promotion, or DIPROM, in order to upgrade SMEs in terms of production efficiency, technology, standards, and the proportion of domestic raw materials, alongside MiT certification by the Federation of Thai Industries.
In addition, the meeting discussed driving bioenergy — both ethanol and biodiesel — forward, with the need to examine excise tax, market mechanisms, the readiness of the automotive industry, and the benefits to farmers in a balanced way, linking these to the green economy, BCG, and ESG.
"New industries that must be rapidly reinforced include biotechnology, digital, AI, new-form vehicles, medical devices, and the defense industry, all of which require new supply chains to support them — so that Thailand is not merely a production base, but can generate greater added value domestically."
Supajee said the meeting also discussed adjusting the industrial index to better reflect the real situation, by asking TDRI to review the figures and the calculation of the industrial index — particularly the capacity utilization rate, which may still include declining legacy industries without incorporating new industries into the calculation. A clear example is semiconductors and photonics, especially optical switch and transceiver devices, which are growing in line with the global data center boom. Some Thai operators have seen sales double for two consecutive years. If the MPI base year were adjusted from 2021 to 2024, it would more accurately reflect the potential of new industries.
On questions regarding US trade measures, Supajee said that under Sections 301 and 232, approximately 72% of goods have already been granted tariff exemptions, with the remaining 28% still subject to ongoing negotiations. Toward the end of this August, she will travel to negotiate tariff issues with the United States in order to preserve Thailand's trade interests to the greatest extent possible.
Nevertheless, Thailand's negotiating framework with the United States remains centered on trade matters; military issues will not be used as bargaining chips for tariff benefits. Instead, trade data, investment figures, and supply chain linkages will be used to demonstrate the mutual benefits for both countries.
To date, Thai private-sector entities have already invested nearly USD 20 billion in the United States, with plans to invest a further USD 5 billion. At the same time, part of Thailand's trade surplus stems from US companies investing in Thailand, making it necessary to view trade and investment together.
