Taiwan's new representative arrives in Thailand

Bangkok, July 20 (CNA) Taiwan's new representative to Thailand, Peter Sha-li Lan (藍夏禮), arrived in Bangkok on Sunday.

Lan and his wife were greeted by his deputy and staff at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Thailand, as well as Taiwanese businesspeople and expats at Bangkok's main international airport.

Addressing those at the airport, the new envoy said the New Southbound Policy, President Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) vision of an economy on which the sun never sets, and Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung's (林佳龍) Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Project, are aimed at promoting trade and economic relations.

The restructuring of the global supply chain highlighted Taiwan's advantage in high-tech, electronics and semiconductor industries, and many Taiwanese businesses or young entrepreneurs have chosen to expand to Thailand, Lan said.

There has been a great shift in geopolitics and politics as well as business in Thailand since he was stationed in the Southeast Asian country more than 10 years ago, Lan told CNA.

The new envoy said he plans to catch up and relearn about the country, in a bid to promote cooperation and build connections between Taiwan and Thailand in trade, technology, education, labor and culture.

Lan came to Thailand after a stint as the head of the Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in July 2023.

He previously served as the ambassador to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines from 2021 to 2023, and the deputy representative at the Taiwan Economic and Trade Office in Indonesia before that.

The veteran diplomat worked as head of the political division and a spokesperson at Taiwan's representative office in Thailand for several years until 2015, according to MOFA.

Lan took over from Chang Chun-fu (張俊福), during whose tenure signed the Agreement for the Promotion and Protection of Investments between Taiwan and Thailand in June 2024, making Thailand the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, MOFA's website showed.

Most recently, Chang signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Technical and Vocational Education and Training with Narong Boonsatheanwong, Thailand's representative to Taiwan, on June 20 of this year.