Following the success of the " Taiwan-Thailand Smart City Forum" held during the 2024 Smart City Summit & Expo (SCSE) in March, Mr. Shui-Yi Kuo, Chairman of the Taiwan Smart City Solutions Alliance (TSSA), led a delegation to Thailand from September 9 to 14. With a total of 42 delegates from 22 prominent Taiwanese companies, the delegation was organized in collaboration with the Taiwan Intelligent Building Association (TIBA) and the Mt. Dadu Industrial Innovation Foundation. The team visited key economic and industrial organizations in the Bangkok area, aiming to establish concrete bilateral cooperation in smart city-related sectors between Taiwan and Thailand.

During the 2024 SCSE this year, a delegation of nearly 400 participants from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and the Thai industry visited Taiwan to attend the event. Mr. Narong Boonsatheanwong, Executive Director from the Thailand Trade and Economic Office, who attended the Taiwan-Thailand Smart City Forum in March, mentioned that the Thai government has been actively promoting its "Thailand 4.0" policy and smart city initiatives in recent years. The government aims to develop at least 100 smart cities by 2027. Taiwan is a key partner in Thailand's smart city development, and the Eastern Economic Corridor serves as an excellent demonstration zone for these efforts. Thailand looks forward to further collaboration with Taiwan in areas such as technology transfer and the net-zero transition.

Mr. Chula Sukmanop, Secretary-General of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), stated that Taiwan’s extensive experience in digital transformation aligns perfectly with the EEC’s emphasis on three key themes: smart healthcare, smart transportation, and the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economy. He looks forward to sharing EEC’s new plans and developments at the 2025 Smart City Summit & Expo.

Mr. Shui-Yi Kuo, Chairman of Chunghwa Telecom, mentioned that in order to enhance bilateral trade and economic exchanges between Taiwan and Thailand, the Taiwan Smart City Solutions Alliance organized its first delegation to visit Bangkok. On September 10th, the "Thailand-Smart City Business Collaboration Forum" was held at the Eastin Grand Sathorn Hotel. The forum attracted nearly 150 participants, including senior executives and industry experts from major Taiwanese and Thai industrial associations, multinational corporations, and other key sectors. Notable Thai attendees included representatives from the EEC, the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA), AMATA Group, the Thai IoT Association, and the Housing Business Association (HBA), along with their member companies. The forum focused on digital and green transformation, with in-depth discussions on smart industrial parks and smart net-zero buildings, reinforcing the opportunities for concrete collaboration between Taiwan and Thailand in smart city development.

Mr. Shui-Yi Kuo also pointed out that since the Taiwanese government's introduction of the New Southbound Policy, Southeast Asian countries have not only become emerging markets for Taiwan’s foreign trade but also production hubs for Taiwan's industrial clusters, leading to increasingly frequent bilateral trade exchanges. As Taiwan's smart city applications continue to mature, Taiwanese companies are actively exploring ways to export integrated systems and replicate Taiwan’s application experiences to Southeast Asia. Through this organized delegation visit to Bangkok, they hope to identify opportunities for joint collaboration in smart city business development.

Ms. Cynthia Chen, Secretary-General of the Taiwan Smart City Solutions Alliance, noted that with Thailand's economy is experiencing rapid growth, a variety of industrial parks and smart park development projects are continuously being introduced, providing diverse opportunities for Taiwanese companies to participate. Taiwanese companies showcased a wide range of smart solutions, including smart manufacturing, smart buildings, smart transportation, smart healthcare, and smart homes, and held 24 one-on-one matchmaking meetings with Thai companies to discuss various cooperation models such as technical collaboration, investment, and joint project development. Both sides agreed that in fields like smart city infrastructure, smart manufacturing systems, and digital management platforms, businesses from Taiwan and Thailand can work together to drive innovative development, achieving mutually beneficial outcomes.

In addition to the forum, the Taipei Computer Association also arranged a series of site visits, including trips to the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT), SynHub, Thailand Digital Valley, and Amata Taipei Smart City, providing concrete solutions to Thailand. Mt. Dadu Industrial Innovation Foundation also invited Taiwanese companies interested in the smart park sector to join the visits. Besides gaining deeper insights into Thailand's achievements in smart technologies, the visit also helped advance the collaboration progress of Amata Taipei Smart City. The representatives from Thailand also detailed its policies on tax reductions, subsidies, and regulations for foreign investments, creating more favorable conditions for further cooperation.

Additionally, Dr. Wen, Show-Ling, Founding President of the Asia Pacific Intelligent Green Building Alliance (APIGBA), led the Taiwan Intelligent Building Association team in collaboration with the Housing Business Association (HBA) of Thailand to organize site visits to renowned green building and smart community projects in Bangkok. The visits included notable cases such as The Forestias smart green city project, the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC), and the Crystal Design Center (CDC). These visits provided participants with a deeper understanding of the design and development of smart buildings in Thailand. Both sides also engaged in in-depth discussions about future cooperation opportunities in this field.

Dr. Wen expressed her hope that through these exchanges, Taiwan's advanced smart technology industry could provide technical support for APIGBA member countries in smart green building or urban development projects. Taiwan Intelligent Building Association has laid the groundwork for regional development during this trip, allowing Taiwan’s smart building industry to expand from Taiwan to the region, setting international standards.

The 2025 Smart City Summit & Expo and the 2050 Net Zero City Expo, will be held in Taiwan from March 18 to 22. The scale of the exhibition and the number of international visitors are expected to surpass previous years. The exhibition will focus on “Digital and Green Transformation”, highlighting the diverse applications of AI, 5G AIoT, net-zero sustainability, and green technologies across various industries.