1. British Chamber of Commerce Thailand
Greg Watkins
Executive Director
British Chamber of Commerce Thailand E: W:

2. 600+ corporate members and 100+ events per year.
Chamber Background
Founded in 1946: the oldest foreign chamber in Thailand and oldest British chamber in Asia.
600+ corporate members and 100+ events per year.
14 staff, 14 Board Directors & 10 Honorary Advisers.
4 staff on Business Support Services for UK SMEs completed projects and 1,500+ SMEs assisted in 4 years.
8 BCCT committees & active on all advocacy groups of European Association for Business & Commerce (de facto EuroCham) in Thailand.
British Business Centre provides facilities for meetings, receptions, presentations, seminars, product launches – hosted 100+ activities in 2016.

3. Economic Update & Political Situation
Thailand has scale: 68 million population (Bangkok 10m).
Bangkok regional hub especially for Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar & Vietnam. Regional integration.
5 hours flying time of half the world’s population.
Economy robust – business sector drives the economy % GDP in Inflation % in 2017.
Exports important to economy % rise in 2017.
Key exports: auto parts, computers, rubber, plastics, electrical circuits, machinery, chemicals.
Special Economic Zones – border & clusters.
Thailand 4.0: national strategy on added value, high technology and innovation – key to reduce bureaucracy.
One-stop service for business registration to come
Politics: military administration since May 2014 – form of stability. New constitutions and elections to come

4. Doing Business
Basic business laws work. Market access improvements from future bilateral FTA or individual sector treatments?
49/189 in World Bank Ease of Doing Business Survey.
28/61 in IMD World Competitiveness Ranking
Low tax environment: corporate 20%, VAT 7%
Good infrastructure; reliable utilities & comms; hard- working & adaptable workforce
Skills challenge – soft & hard e.g. leadership & decision- making => opportunities for UK training
Investor-friendly tax and non-tax incentives incl. services via Board of Investment & ASEAN Free Trade Area
Key BCCT issues: liberalisation of Foreign Business Act, land & property ownership, & visas/work permits
Social media – Bangkok highest Facebook use per person of any city but mostly personal use. 8th in YouTube use

5. UK Presence Strong bilateral relationship - trading for more 400 years
Brits are seen as reliable & good to do business with – about 50,000 resident expats
British brands are well-respected – union jack/royal crest
Thais like British products, fashion and culture – in-built advantage. Many well-established brands. More wanted
UK exports: £2 billion, Thai exports: £3 billion. Top UK exports – iron & steel, electrical equipment, vehicles, travel services, precious stones & metals, beverages & food, & pharmaceuticals
Nearly 1 million tourists visit Thailand every year
Thai-UK Business Leadership Council established in by Thai PM to develop bilateral trade and investment
TUBLC: business to business leadership. Focuses on bilateral market access issues. 3 groups: Ease of Doing Business; Import/Export & Technology & Innovation

6. Opportunities
Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC): Thailand 4.0 initiative: smart technology, urbanization, roads, railways, port & airport development, digital parks
ICT: digital infrastructure, e-commerce, e-government, transport technology, cyber security, data centres
Transport/Infrastructure: £40 billion investment
Agri-business & Food/Drink: one of region’s largest markets. New more sophisticated technology. Growing tourism sector. Higher middle-class disposable income
Retail & Consumer goods: new shopping malls and retail concepts opening across the country.
Power & Renewable Energy: energy deficit. Masterplan 25% of needs from renewables by 2022.
Education & Skills: strong business demand for quality English speaking talent. Vocational skills shortage.
Engineering: electronics well-established, automotive (9th largest in the world), petrochemicals & machinery
Pharmaceutical & Healthcare: 70% of medical devices imported. Medical tourism. Hospital certification