Thailand is positioning itself as a vital overseas manufacturing base and regional R&D hub for Chinese automakers, seeking to deepen bilateral cooperation in the automotive sector and tap into the expanding global markets for new energy and intelligent vehicles.
"We want to build Thailand into the second home for Chinese OEMs and jointly develop our automotive industries into a global center," said Kriengsak Wongpromrat, president of the Thailand Automotive Institute.
"Joint local R&D is essential to adapt Chinese EV and intelligent vehicle technologies to Thai and Southeast Asian road conditions and infrastructure," he said.
Eight major Chinese automakers — including BYD, Changan, Chery, and Great Wall — have established local production facilities, pushing the country's total EV production capacity beyond 500,000 units.
To bridge these gaps, Thailand is pursuing closer collaboration with China in R&D testing, technical standard alignment and talent development.