Jakarta – The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin Indonesia), in collaboration with the Thai Chamber of Commerce Indonesia (TCCI), hosted the Indonesia–Thailand Business Forum under the theme “Advancing the Indonesia–Thailand Strategic Partnership: Building Integrated Value Chains in Industry, Services, and the Halal Economy” in conjunction with the official visit of H.E. Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, to Indonesia. The forum was held at the Fairmont Hotel, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday (4 August 2026).

Kadin Indonesia Chairman Anindya Novyan Bakrie said the business forum serves as a strategic platform to strengthen dialogue and collaboration between Indonesian and Thai businesses. According to Anindya, popularly known as Anin, the event reflects Kadin Indonesia's mandate as the official representative of Indonesia's business community.

Anin noted that relations between Indonesia and Thailand long predate the establishment of ASEAN and even the formation of the modern nation-states. For centuries, the two countries have been connected through maritime trade routes, cultural exchanges, and historical ties between kingdoms across Southeast Asia.

"History has shown that the friendship between Indonesia and Thailand has endured for centuries. We have exchanged goods, ideas, and traditions. Even today, historical legacies remind us that the journeys of our two nations have always been interconnected," Anin said.

Anin also highlighted the official visit of the Prime Minister of Thailand to Indonesia, the first such visit in 15 years. He described the visit as an important milestone in strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries.

As the two largest economies in ASEAN, Indonesia and Thailand, Anin continued, possess enormous potential. With a combined population of approximately 357 million people and a combined economy approaching USD 2 trillion, both countries have significant opportunities to expand trade and investment cooperation.

"Bilateral trade has now reached approximately USD 17.5 billion. We are optimistic that our shared target of increasing trade to USD 30 billion by 2030 can be achieved as investment flows and people-to-people ties continue to deepen," Anin said.

Anin emphasized that Indonesia and Thailand also share a common commitment to strengthening multilateralism while maintaining regional stability and prosperity. As founding members of ASEAN, both countries play a strategic role in advancing regional economic integration.

He also expressed Kadin Indonesia's support for Thailand's ASEAN Chairmanship in 2028 through collaboration with the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) and the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC).

Furthermore, Anin welcomed the launch of the Strategic Partnership Plan 2026–2030 by President Prabowo Subianto and H.E. Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, describing it as a new roadmap for bilateral relations.

Anin added that this year's business forum focuses on cooperation in the halal economy, services, downstream industries, and manufacturing—sectors with tremendous potential to enhance the competitiveness of both countries. He expressed confidence that Indonesia and Thailand could become global leaders in several strategic industries by combining innovation with the scale of their respective economies.

"The question is no longer whether Indonesia and Thailand can compete, but whether we can become the world's best in specific sectors. I believe the answer is yes, provided we embrace innovation at scale," Anin said.

Anin also identified the food sector as one of the most promising areas for collaboration. Thailand is globally recognized for its agricultural excellence through products such as jasmine rice and tropical fruits, while Indonesia offers abundant natural resources, exceptional biodiversity, and large-scale production capacity.

"When Indonesia's scale is combined with Thailand's strengths, we can provide food solutions for the world. Let us build not only for the benefit of our two nations, but also for the global community," Anin said.

He encouraged businesses from both countries to continue expanding trade, investment, business-to-business collaboration, and joint innovation to create more inclusive prosperity.

"History brought us together, business strengthens that relationship, and innovation will shape our future. Indonesia brings scale, Thailand brings excellence. Together, we can create greater prosperity—not only for our two countries, but for the world," Anin remarked.

On the same occasion, H.E. Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, welcomed the strengthening business relationship between Indonesia and Thailand. He said both countries still have substantial room to expand investment, trade, and mutually beneficial economic cooperation.

"I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Government of Indonesia. I also extend my gratitude to the private sector in this country. Let me reaffirm that the Government of Thailand will wholeheartedly support all commitments and initiatives undertaken by our Indonesian partners to elevate our trade and business relations to an even closer and stronger level," he said.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Special Envoy for Climate and Energy and Chairman of Kadin Indonesia's Advisory Board, Hashim S. Djojohadikusumo, called on the business communities of Indonesia and Thailand to strengthen economic collaboration in addressing global challenges, including geopolitical uncertainty, rising energy prices, and climate change.

Hashim expressed confidence that bilateral economic relations would continue to grow, with trade steadily progressing toward the shared target for 2030.

"We will continue supporting every effort to strengthen Indonesia–Thailand cooperation. Indonesia's business community stands ready to support the expansion of economic relations between our two countries," Hashim said.

According to Hashim, Indonesia and Thailand face similar challenges stemming from increasing global uncertainty. One of the major consequences has been rising energy prices, which have driven up the cost of essential commodities in both countries.

"We share the same challenges. That is why we have an even stronger incentive to collaborate so that we can better withstand external shocks," Hashim said.

Minister of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia Budi Santoso said efforts to increase trade with Thailand will focus on expanding export volumes of existing commodities while diversifying the range of products traded.

"Indonesia already exports many products to Thailand. We will continue increasing the volume of those existing exports," Budi said.

Budi added that, alongside increasing export volumes, the Ministry of Trade will also promote product diversification. He noted that Indonesia and Thailand have complementary trade structures, making it easier to expand bilateral trade.

"Secondly, we will diversify our export products. Indonesia and Thailand complement one another. Our products are different, which means we meet each other's needs. Complementary trade relationships naturally create greater opportunities for expansion," Budi concluded.

Chairman of the Board of Trade of Thailand, Poj Aramwattananont, said closer cooperation between Kadin Indonesia and the Thai Chamber of Commerce would provide an important foundation for increasing investment, creating new business opportunities, and fostering sustainable economic growth across ASEAN.

"As global supply chains continue to evolve, Thailand and Indonesia have a unique opportunity to build stronger regional value chains by connecting our complementary strengths. Through closer cooperation between Kadin Indonesia and the Thai Chamber of Commerce, we can transform partnership into investment, business opportunities, and sustainable growth for ASEAN," Poj Aramwattananont said.

The forum also featured the exchange of two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs), witnessed by H.E. Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand.

The first MoU, between Kadin Indonesia and the Board of Trade of Thailand, concerns cooperation in the carbon market. It builds upon the MoU on Trade and Investment Cooperation signed in Bangkok on 19 May 2025, which established a framework for promoting trade and investment, exchanging business information, supporting participation in trade fairs and conferences, and facilitating bilateral business missions.

Under the new agreement, cooperation has been expanded to include carbon market development, covering policy and regulatory dialogue, the development of standards and measurement systems, identification of bankable carbon projects, business matching, investment mobilization, and greater interoperability of carbon markets across ASEAN.

The second MoU, between Kadin Indonesia and TCCI, establishes the Thailand Business Ecosystem–Indonesia (TBES–Indonesia). The framework is designed to connect businesses, government agencies, financial institutions, industry associations, academia, professional service providers, and investors to support cooperation in trade and investment, the halal economy, sustainability and innovation, as well as human capital development.

The event was attended by members of Kadin Indonesia's leadership, including Coordinating Vice Chairman for Foreign Affairs James T. Riady, Coordinating Vice Chairman for Food Mulyadi Jayabaya, Vice Chairman for Foreign Relations Bernadino M. Vega, Vice Chairman for Livestock Cecep Mohammad Wahyudin, Vice Chairman for Agriculture Devi Erna Rachmawati, Vice Chairman for Human Resource Professional Development Cooperation in Engineering and Industry Insannul Kamil, and Head of the Sharia Economic and Financial Development Agency Titi Khoiriah.