Bangkok: Pichai hopes to remove Thailand from the US Watch List as part of plans to enhance innovation and empower SMEs. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Mr. Pichai Chunhavajira, chaired a meeting of the National Intellectual Property Policy Committee (NPPC) in collaboration with various agencies. The meeting aims to engage both government and private sectors to drive Thailand’s intellectual property development plan across all dimensions, strengthening SMEs through innovation and technology. Since intellectual property serves as a key mechanism for national development and facilitates creativity and commercial utilization, the government aims to attract foreign trade and investment to enhance the capabilities of Thai entrepreneurs on the global stage.
According to Thai News Agency, the meeting saw the NBTC jointly determining the direction of the country’s intellectual property policy in the short, medium, and long terms. The Department of Intellectual Property has been tasked with enhancing Thailand’s innovation capabilities under the Global Innovation Index (GII) framework. The six driving directions include the utilization of research and investment in innovation, increasing the value of innovation through creativity and intellectual property, and the development of innovation through financial and capital market mechanisms. Additionally, the policy focuses on promoting the expansion and utilization of innovation, developing innovation-based enterprises and a new generation of capable workforce, and managing innovation data.
Mr. Chantavit Tantasith, Deputy Minister of Commerce, emphasized that strengthening Thai SMEs under the “Thais Make, Thais Use, Thais Help Thais” policy aims to drive the Thai economy by utilizing intellectual property to create business opportunities and increase the value of products and services. The meeting approved the Intellectual Property Development Plan 2026-2027, which seeks to proactively develop laws and prevent intellectual property infringement. The intention is to address and prevent intellectual property infringement, with hopes that the United States will consider removing Thailand from the Watch List (WL) under Special Section 301 of the US Trade Act, following Thailand’s ongoing efforts to tackle this issue.