Thai Times

Covering the Thai Renaissance
Sunday, Jan 11, 2026

Thailand Seeks Strategic ‘Green’ Industrial Alliance as India’s Middle Class Expands Rapidly

Thailand Seeks Strategic ‘Green’ Industrial Alliance as India’s Middle Class Expands Rapidly

Bangkok advances low-carbon cooperation with New Delhi amid India’s surging middle-income demographic and renewed strategic partnership
Thailand is actively pursuing deeper cooperation with India on green industrial development as New Delhi’s middle class is projected to surge in size in the coming decades, creating significant opportunities for regional economic integration and sustainable industrial growth.

Thai officials have emphasised the role of low-carbon manufacturing and eco-friendly technologies as central pillars of their industrial strategy, designed to attract investment, strengthen supply chains and enhance competitiveness in a shifting global economy under climate and trade pressures.

This policy emphasis comes against a backdrop of India’s rapidly expanding middle class, which is forecast to nearly double as a share of the population by the mid-century, transforming consumption patterns and economic dynamics across the subcontinent.

According to recent demographic studies, India’s middle-income group — now a significant driver of domestic demand — could encompass a majority of the population within a decade and expand further toward one billion people by twenty forty-seven, reflecting sustained economic progress and rising incomes.

At the diplomatic level, Thailand and India elevated their bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership in early twenty twenty-five, underscoring broad cooperation across trade, technology, culture, and investment.

The two governments signed multiple memoranda of understanding aimed at boosting economic and technological collaboration, including in areas such as digital innovation, small and medium enterprises, and maritime heritage.

Leaders from Bangkok and New Delhi also pledged closer engagement on connectivity, tourism and people-to-people ties, framing the partnership as foundational for deeper regional integration.

Thailand’s industrial ambitions include integrating green manufacturing into its broader economic policy.

Policymakers have signalled that low-carbon sectors such as electric mobility, renewable energy and advanced materials offer avenues for growth and export expansion while meeting international climate commitments.

Thailand’s government is also navigating regulatory frameworks such as carbon pricing and compliance challenges posed by external markets, seeking to balance environmental objectives with competitiveness in global value chains.

For Thailand, cooperation with India represents not only an economic opportunity but also a strategic alignment with a neighbouring power whose demographic and market transformation is reshaping regional demand.

As New Delhi’s middle class expands — driving consumption and industrial demand — Bangkok aims to position itself as a gateway for sustainable manufacturing in Southeast Asia, fostering partnerships that leverage complementary strengths in technology, production and market access.

The evolving collaboration reflects Bangkok’s intent to integrate climate-aligned industrial policy with geopolitical engagement in the Indo-Pacific context, reinforcing Thailand’s role in shaping resilient, green economic corridors for the future.
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