India-Thailand Relations

• Both parties expressed satisfaction with the ongoing bilateral defence cooperation at the 8th India-Thailand Defence Dialogue, which was held in Bangkok, Thailand.
• Cultural ties and mutual cooperation that have been shaped by thousands of years of lasting historical and cultural ties characterise India and Thailand relations.

Highlight

• It was examined how various bilateral defence cooperation programmes were progressing.
• The co-chairs came up with ways to strengthen current areas of cooperation, particularly in the fields of defence industry, marine security, and multinational cooperation.
• The Indian defence industry's potential was praised by Thailand.
• The two chairs also described initiatives towards developing areas of collaboration and concerns with regard to global commons.

Indian-Thai Relations: Historical Background

• Full diplomatic ties were established after India gained independence in 1947. However, there was little reason for India to look towards Thailand in terms of trade and the economy, so relations between the two were at best minimal. Additionally, due to Cold War politics, the USSR and the USA formed the opposing camps of the two superpower blocs. The situation was altered during the 1970s East Asian economic growth and the end of the Cold War. Since that time, Thailand and India's relations have been generally amicable.
• Since 2001, there has been a noticeable improvement in Indo-Thai relations, as seen by a rise in business and economic ties, high-level visits, and the signing of numerous agreements. In a number of multilateral forums, including ASEAN and the sub-regional organisation BIMSTEC, which includes Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Nepal, and Bhutan, India and Thailand are working together.
• India is a member of the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC), a club of six nations, and the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), which was founded by Thailand in 2002.

Indo-Thai Cultural ties

• The interactions between India and Thailand have taken shape over centuries of strong historical and cultural ties. Geographical proximity had resulted in numerous people-to-people interactions and a lengthy history of bilateral diplomatic connections, both of which had paved the way for the development of a mutually beneficial alliance.
• The ancient Sanskrit and Pali languages, which have their origins in India, are where the majority of the Thai language finds its roots. Thailand adopted Buddhism as its main religion when it was introduced there during King Ashoka's rule of the Mauryan Empire. Thai religious practises, art, architecture, and music evolved during the centuries-long historical links, drawing inspiration from Indian art and stories.

Economic and Commercial Relations:

• Despite the pandemic condition, bilateral commerce reached USD 9.76 billion in 2020 after reaching USD 12.12 billion in 2019.
• In 2018, Thailand exported goods of USD 7.60 billion to India, and India exported goods to Thailand for USD 4.86 billion.
• In 2021–2022, bilateral trade between India and Thailand hit a record high of over USD 15 billion.
• Thailand is India's fifth-largest trading partner in the ASEAN bloc, behind Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
• Thai products currently enjoy tax reductions because of the ASEAN-India FTA in Goods, which went into effect in January 2010.

Connectivity:

• Around 1.9 million Indian tourists travelled to Thailand in 2019 but only 160,000 Thai travellers went to India, primarily to visit Buddhist pilgrimage sites.
• In accordance with the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) framework, India and Thailand are collaborating to strengthen regional connectivity.
• It is anticipated that the much anticipated India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway will increase land connectivity across Northeast India and Southeast Asia, becoming the first-ever cross-border facilitation agreement between South and Southeast Asia.

Defence Cooperation:

• Over time, the bilateral defence engagements have grown to encompass high-level visits, capacity-building and training programmes, Defence Dialogue talks, military-to-military exchanges, and yearly joint military exercises.

Defence drills:

• Army exercise MAITREE.
• Air Force exercise SIAM BHARAT.
• Indian Navy's coordinated patrol with Thailand.

Way ahead

• Through bilateral interactions to increase trade and investments, both parties should address issues relating to trade barriers and lowering import duty costs.
• Opportunities for collaboration between Thailand and India's startup environment should also be investigated.
• By making investments in each other's markets, the two nations can collaborate to close gaps in the supply chain.