Deputy Director General of the Department of American and South Pacific Affairs and Deputy Director General of the Office of Industrial Economics led a Thai delegation to[...]

On 10-14 September 2024, Ms. Jaithai Upakarnitikaset, Deputy Director-General of the Department of American and South Pacific Affairs, together with Mrs. Siripen Kiatfuengfoo, Deputy Director-General of the Office of Industrial Economics, Ministry of Industry, led a Thai delegation to attend meetings of Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) Supply Chain Council and Crisis Response Network to drive forward cooperation under the IPEF Agreement relating to Supply Chain Resilience, in Washington, D.C.

The IPEF Supply Chain Council discussed its work plan and agreed to establish the Subcommittee on Logistics and Movement of Goods and Subcommittee on Data and Analytics to advance further cooperation. The Council also agreed to establish the Action Plan Teams on semiconductor, chemicals, and critical minerals and batteries, with a plan to establish an additional Action Plan Team on medical and healthcare products in the near future. As for IPEF Crisis response Network, the meeting deliberated on its work plan for capacity building and response to future supply chain crises, as well as conducted an emergency simulation exercise to enhance preparedness in the event of a supply chain disruption of a key import product.

In addition, the Thai delegation attended the Supply Chain Summit hosted by the U.S. Department of Commerce for leaders from relevant U.S. public and private sectors. The meeting was an opportunity to learn more about the U.S. experience and best practices related to supply chain management and response to disruption. On this occasion, the Deputy-Director General also had bilateral meetings with several partners to strengthen Thailand-U.S. cooperation in various relevant areas.