Google is building a new cloud data centre in Chon Buri as it plans to expand its presence in Thailand, according to Google's president and chief investment officer Ruth Porat.
Ms Porat met with Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on Wednesday.
The Google chief executive thanked the Thai government for supporting its plan to develop a cloud data centre in Chon Buri, which is under construction and will be ready to operate in about two years.
She said Google will maintain its support for Thai government organisations, including the Ministry of Education, with which the tech giant has signed a memorandum of understanding on digital skills training.
Google is also committed to supporting Thai small- and medium-sized enterprises by providing them with upskilling programmes, she said.
This is proof of Google's determination to maintain its presence in Thailand, she said.
Ms Paetongtarn told Ms Porat she hoped Google would consider choosing Thailand as its main production base for the company's digital products, saying the government is ready to support Google's expansion in Thailand.
Later the same day, the PM held talks with Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter, during which the latter congratulated her for Thailand's success in securing a free trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).
The Thai-EFTA FTA will play a key role in expanding trade between Thailand and Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland by reducing trade barriers such as tariffs, said the Swiss president. Switzerland is Thailand's second-largest trade partner in Europe, she noted.
Both leaders also discussed the possibility of a reciprocal visa-free agreement and Switzerland's support for Thailand's green transition.
Yesterday, Ms Paetongtarn witnessed the formal signing of the Thai-European Free Trade Association (EFTA) free-trade agreement.
During the trip to Davos, Ms Paetongtarn and Foreign Affairs Minister Maris Sangiampongsa also held discussions with the chief adviser to the Bangladesh government, Muhammad Yunus, and Sweden's Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, where she stressed Thailand's commitment to boosting trade and investment.
She also expressed Thailand's determination to conclude the Thai-European Union FTA later this year and requested Sweden's support for this plan.
Thailand also expects to commence FTA negotiations with Bangladesh and is looking forward to hosting the 6th BIMSTEC Summit on April 4 before handing over the chairmanship of the summit to Bangladesh, said the PM.
Commerce Minister Pichai Naripthaphan also told a panel discussion on Tuesday that Thailand is ready to welcome all investments in AI.
