The state government wants to open a foreign representative office in Thailand – and in this way make it easier for Bavarian companies to access business in the Far East. Southeast Asia is of “central importance” for the Bavarian economy, said State Secretary for Economic Affairs Tobias Gotthardt (FW) on Friday. “With our own Bavarian representative office here in Bangkok, we want to give our domestic companies a competitive advantage in the entire region.” Bavaria operates a good 30 of these foreign offices worldwide; the local contacts are to mediate between Bavarian and domestic companies and promote Bavaria as a business location to investors. In Asia, the Free State is represented in Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City), Japan (Tokyo), India (Bangalore) and China (Chengdu, Qingdao, Shenzhen), among others.
Gotthardt had already set off on a delegation trip to Thailand on Wednesday, which would last several days, accompanied by business representatives. Before leaving, he said that the country has the second largest economy in Southeast Asia: “As a Free State, we cannot just be spectators here.” According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Bavaria’s foreign trade with Thailand has grown in recent years to a volume of more than 2.6 billion euros. The EU has also been negotiating a free trade agreement with Thailand for some time.