Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has congratulated Donald Trump and J.D. Vance on their election victory, as countries around the world assess the results of one of the most consequential elections in 2024.
Posting via her account on social media platform X, Prime Minister Paetongtarn stated, “I wish to congratulate President Donald Trump and Senator JD Vance for the victory in the U.S. Presidential election. I look forward to working with you to advance Thailand-U.S. long-standing alliance for the benefits of our peoples and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.”
Earlier, Thailand’s Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa announced that regardless of the election result, the longstanding and stable relationship between Thailand and the United States will remain intact, underpinned by ongoing, extensive cooperation.
“The shift in power should not affect Thai-US relations, as both countries have maintained positive bilateral ties for a long time…The Thailand-US relationship in all three levels [governments, private sector, and civil societies] has always been strong, therefore it should not matter who is at the helm,” Thailand’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Maris Sangiampongsa stated.
Nonetheless, it remains to be seen if the incoming administration led by Donald Trump will continue to drive key initiatives launched by his predecessor, such as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), with the same vigor. Thailand and the United States, along with 12 partner economies have actively engaged in the IPEF since its inception in 2022, tackling shared challenges in trade, supply chains, and clean and fair economies.
While US Security Advisor Jake Sullivan had engaged in continuous discussions with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, keeping communications lines open between the two geopolitical rivals, Trump has proposed hiking tariffs on Chinese goods to 60%, which is likely to further escalate trade tensions.
At the same time, U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods have enjoyed bipartisan support, with President Biden keeping Trump’s original tariffs on approximately US$300 billion of Chinese products. As a result, multinational corporations have been diversifying supply chains, leading to greater foreign investment in ASEAN countries like Vietnam and Thailand.
Nonetheless, Thai Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira has said that Thailand will need to redouble its efforts to raise the proportion of locally produced components in Thai products, in order to mitigate trade barriers.
Amidst the uncertainty, one thing is clear: Moo Deng knows how to pick a winner.
Teerin Julsawad 
Paul Rujopakarn