ส.อ.ท. ร่วมเวที INTANIA Forum ยกระดับไทยสู่ประเทศรายได้สูงFTI Participates in The INTANIA Forum to Elevate Thailand to a High-Income Country

On July 31, 2026, Mr. Panithan Pawarolwattana, Secretary-General of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), along with Mr. Wethit Chokwanthana and Mr. Kitti Tangjitmaneesakda, Senior Vice Presidents of FTI, Dr. Nawarath Songsawaschai, Vice President of FTI and Head of the President's Office, and Mr. Thanathorn Trongthiwit, Executive Board Member of FTI, attended The INTANIA Forum at the Hall of INTANIA, where they were honored by Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Anutin Charnvirakul who delivered a keynote speech on the topic “Overcoming Crisis: Adapting to the New World Order.” The event was organized by the Chulalongkorn University Engineering Alumni Association in collaboration with the Chulalongkorn University Faculty of Engineering at the Chulalongkorn University Faculty of Engineering Auditorium.

The event featured executives from the public sector, finance sector, and business sector who exchanged views on addressing challenges in the new era, while presenting strategies to elevate Thailand's long-term competitiveness.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul stated that he views himself as a “political engineer” applying engineering principles to prioritize, manage resources, and choose the most appropriate courses of action. He cited the Critical Path Method (CPM) to explain the decision-making process on what investments the country should prioritize, how to allocate resources, and which paths would yield the greatest efficiency, emphasizing the need for flexibility to transition the country towards a steady state — a condition characterized by stability, safety, and sustainable growth.

Additionally, he proposed the idea of decentralizing development, suggesting that Thailand should have more than one metropolis to distribute prosperity and economic opportunities to the regions, utilizing geographical potential and transport networks to develop industries along major routes, generate income, create jobs, and enhance Thailand’s role as a regional production and distribution center.

Furthermore, he identified three critical areas for Thailand's focus: developing people through lifelong learning to create a competitive workforce, promoting research and innovation with universities as innovation hubs while the government facilitates market opportunities for commercially viable research, and reforming the bureaucratic system to become a partner of the public and business sectors, leading to the concept “Empowering Thai People, Empowering Thailand.”

Prime Minister Anutin also emphasized the concept of Self-Reliance based on the royal initiatives of King Rama IX, supporting Thai products, innovations, and proposing a framework for using AI under the 4P principle: Prevention to mitigate impacts, Prosperity to create wealth, Potential to develop human and national capabilities, and Protection to ensure technology governance within appropriate boundaries.

Mr. Wital Ratthanakorn, Governor of the Bank of Thailand, noted that the world is undergoing significant changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical conflicts, and economic volatility, which necessitate Thailand to plan long-term and enhance resource allocation efficiency. A key challenge lies in ensuring capital flows to businesses with potential while drawing informal capital into the economic system and reducing corruption to elevate the economic potential of the country.

Moreover, there is an urgent need to address Resource Misallocation that keeps capital concentrated in large businesses while SMEs struggle to access credit. The Bank of Thailand is preparing to utilize Data Analytics and information from the Data Bureau to develop a financial credit assessment system allowing capable entrepreneurs access to funding more easily, even without collateral or traditional credit history.

Mr. Thamsak Setthoudom, CEO of SCG, stated that Thailand must urgently restructure its economy to align with the new world order, daring to downsize or close Zombie Businesses, and directing resources towards future-oriented businesses and industries. He also proposed ASEAN as a Business Partnership, leveraging each country's strengths to build a robust value chain.

For Thailand, there should be a focus on producing high-value products propelled by innovation, while also suggesting the development of regional financing mechanisms, such as ASEAN-based Loans, to enhance competitive potential, including promoting the use of Made in Thailand products to generate a Multiplier Effect, creating income, jobs, and added value within the Thai economy.

Ms. Kattiya Indaravijaya, CEO of Kasikorn Bank, indicated that under The New World Order, entrepreneurs, particularly SMEs, must rapidly increase productivity since raw material costs account for 50-60% of total costs. She pointed out that the economy will exhibit a K-Shape, necessitating support for businesses capable of adapting and growing.

As for the goal to elevate Thailand to a High-Income Economy within 12 years, focus should be put on developing 7 core industries: Agriculture and Food, Modern Automotive, AI, Electronics and Digital, Medical and Wellness, Tourism, Retail, and Creative Economy.

Mr. Atthaporn Rukphiboon, Advisor to the Prime Minister, emphasized that the interconnectedness of Geo-politics and Geo-economics directly impacts Thailand’s energy and economic directions. In the short term, the country must ensure energy security, increase self-reliance, and promote bio-diesel utilization. In the medium term, it should manage energy prices, support Data Centers and AI alongside developing infrastructure and enhancing energy efficiency, such as AI Training Academy and Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE).

Additionally, investments in solar energy must be accelerated, the power grid developed, and plans for PDP 2026 pushed forward, which prepares to increase electricity production capacity from Small Modular Reactors (SMR) by a total of 2,400 megawatts by 2037, with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) as the lead agency.

Participants from all sectors agreed that “people” are the most critical factor for the development of the country, requiring an enhancement of lifelong learning, reform of the education system, and integration of AI to support personalized learning, adjusting assessment systems to reflect true skills, while promoting skills that AI cannot replace such as emotional intelligence, communication, analytical thinking, teamwork, and learning Chinese and languages of trade partner countries to increase future economic opportunities.

If Thailand can develop its people, create future skills, and instill a culture of lifelong learning, it will transform global challenges into opportunities and foster sustainable growth. The INTANIA Forum serves as a significant platform that connects the visions of the public sector, financial sector, and business sector to jointly drive Thailand towards long-term development.