On 9 February 2023 the U.S. – ASEAN Business Council (USABC) hosted a welcome lunch in honor of Ambassador Tanee Sangrat upon his assumption of duty as Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to the United States. The event was attended by USABC executives led by Ambassador Ted Osius, President and CEO, as well as ASEAN Ambassadors, heads of offices under Team Thailand, representatives from USABC’s member companies, the U.S. government and think tanks.

Ambassador Tanee expressed his appreciation to the USABC for promoting trade and investment between Thailand and the U.S. He also emphasised the Embassy’s 3 priorities in forging closer Thai-U.S. cooperation: promoting the Thai-U.S. alliance, promoting economic cooperation particularly in the area of sustainability, and supporting the participation of the Thai-American community in the U.S.

In addition, Ambassador Tanee expressed his confidence in Thailand’s economic performance, which is on the path to recovery from tourism; on domestic consumption; as well as on domestic and foreign investment which is expected to grow by 5 percent this year.

Ambassador Tanee invited U.S. businesses to invest in Thailand’s new industries with high potential, including smart electronics, 5G, smart logistics, BCG-related industries and EVs, whose domestic market witnessed 36,000 sold units/bookings in 2022.  Thai EV market is thus 2nd only after China. He also reiterated his readiness to continue to work closely with the U.S. on IPEF.

Ambassador Osius welcomed Ambassador Tanee to the U.S. and congratulated him upon his assumption of duty, confirming his readiness to further strengthen and drive economic relations between Thailand and the U.S.