Bangkok

German-Thai economic relations are among the most significant and the oldest in all of Southeast Asia.

As early as 150 years ago the Hanseatic cities of Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck in Germany signed a trade agreement with the then Kingdom of Siam under King Mongkut. Even today, the economic connections between the two countries are some of the most important in the respective other continents, as Stefan Buerkle, executive director of the German-Thai Chamber of Commerce (GTCC) is able to report.

"For Thailand, Germany is the most important European trade partner," says Buerkle. He quantifies the volume of both sides’ commitment at “between 4.5 and 5 billion euros” and rising. It is an absolutely unique situation that Thailand consistently brings in a trade surplus compared with the long-time export world champion Germany.

The bilaterally organized GTCC has almost 500 member companies. "We have three main tasks here in Thailand: we serve as the official representatives of German industry, which also involves assisting political delegations, we provide services such as the search for sales partners and we represent German trade fair companies," explains the executive director. Buerkle describes the 51 percent rule, which prohibits foreign firms from being represented by 100% subsidiaries in Thailand, as "not a very good rule" for more extensive cooperation. A change "would make a lot simpler." By contrast, he finds complete protection of some industries "understandable."

Examples of German commitment in Thailand:
- A German architect – Ole Scheeren – is presently building the highest building in the Thai capital: the 77-story Mahanakhon Tower
- The BMW factory in Rayong with consistently growing production
- The construction by the German-American Helmut Jahn of Suvarnabhumi Airport, which borrows from the design of the Munich Olympic Stadium
- The move of Bangkok Airport, which was carried out with the assistance of Munich Airport
- The trains of BTS, MRT and Airport Link built by Siemens
- The MRT route, which was dug by a German construction company
- Meat and sausage manufacturing, most of which is based on German technologies
- Thai beer, which would surely not exist without German hops
- Many of the new wine-makers in Thailand were trained in Germany
- The majority of laws in public and constitutional law were borrowed from Germany
- The first car in Thailand (1904) was – naturally – a Mercedes