On 16 July 2025, Ms. Rujikorn Saengchantr, Director-General of the Department of International Economic Affairs and Thailand’s APEC Senior Official, chaired a preparatory meeting to coordinate Thai agencies’ participation in the Third APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting (APEC SOM3/2025), which the Republic of Korea will host between 10 - 16 August 2025 in Incheon. This preparatory meeting reviewed progress on APEC-related initiatives and discussed Thailand’s positions and key priorities for SOM3.

At the APEC SOM3/2025, Thailand will continue to support South Korea’s host-year priorities under the theme “Building a Sustainable Tomorrow.” Key areas of focus include: (1) the advancement of regional economic integration; (2) the strengthening of the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core; and (3) the promotion of cooperation in emerging areas that will address the region’s future needs, such as responses to demographic shifts and collaboration in the field of Artificial Intelligence. Thailand also aims to continue advancing the implementation of the Bangkok Goals on the BCG Economy, a legacy of its 2022 APEC host year, and to update members on the progress of the 2025 APEC BCG Award, which Thailand initiated.

The outcomes of SOM3 will form a foundation for the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week (AELW), which will be hosted in Gyeongju, Republic of Korea, in late October 2025. In addition to the Senior Officials’ Meeting and over 30 meetings for various APEC committees and working groups, the Republic of Korea will host four separate Sectoral Ministerial Meetings: the APEC High-Level Dialogue of Anti-Corruption Cooperation, the Digital and AI Ministerial Meeting, the Food Security Ministerial Meeting, and the Women and the Economy Forum.