By Kathleen Pokrud
This year marks the celebration of the first French diplomatic mission to Siam 340 years ago while next year will be the celebration of the 170th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and Thailand. Elite+ sat down with HE Ambassador Jean-Claude Poimboeuf to talk about the significance of these two milestones between the two countries.
Ambassador Poimboeuf arrived in Bangkok in 2023. A career diplomat, he is well-versed in Asian affairs. After joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1982, he devoted most of his career to Asia, which corresponded to both his training. He studied Chinese at university and had the opportunity to build a very consistent career with assignments in Hong Kong, Beijing, Bangkok, Tokyo, Sydney, Taipei and Phnom Penh. He continued to follow Asian issues extensively during his time at the ministry headquarters in Paris, in particular, the Cambodian issue before, during and after the negotiation of the 1991 peace accords. As Ambassador Poimboeuf explained, “I am therefore very happy to return to Bangkok for a second time, this time as the ambassador, to finish my professional career.”
How would you say your earlier posting as the French ambassador to Cambodia helped you to assume the ambassadorship to Thailand?
As my career tracked across Asia throughout the years, my assignment to Cambodia was the culmination of a 30-year investment in Cambodian affairs. Each country is different, of course, but Cambodia shares many cultural and religious traits with Thailand. Even though I already knew Thailand from having served here 35 years ago, my mission in Phnom Penh allowed me to further deepen my understanding of regional issues and relations between the two countries.
As France and Thailand will celebrate 340 years since the first diplomatic mission to Siam this year and 170 years of diplomatic relations in 2026, could you tell us how these have evolved?
It is a challenge to summarise several centuries of history between our two countries. If we stick to a few main features, here is what we can say about it. First of all, these are the oldest relations maintained by France with an Asian country, which is remarkable in itself. Secondly, over such a long period, they have necessarily experienced ups and downs, linked in particular to certain misunderstandings or to the particular historical context of the colonial expansion of France in Indochina in the 19th century. Thirdly, France has for a long time played an important role in the fields of education and science, which has contributed to the modernisation of the Kingdom. Some traces are still visible such as Assumption College, founded in 1885 by French missionaries and which over the years has trained many members of the elite; Saint-Louis Hospital, also founded by French missionaries; the National Library, which had the great French scholar, George Coedès, as its chief curator for about ten years at the request of his friend, Prince Damrong Rajanubhab, and the Alliance Française de Bangkok, created in 1912. Today, building on this rich history, France is one of Thailand’s main European partners in economic, cultural and scientific terms.
We have now entered a very dynamic phase of our relationship since President Macron’s visit to Bangkok in November 2022 at the invitation of Thailand’s APEC presidency and the two visits to France, in March and May 2024, by former Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, during which it was decided to enhance our relations at the level of a strategic partnership, which implies establishing structural and long-term cooperation in key sectors such as defence, energy transition, space and infrastructure. This is what we have been actively working on since I assumed my post in September 2023.
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Could you now tell us about the bilateral trade relationship between France and Thailand as well as between France and ASEAN?
Our bilateral trade volume has been relatively stable since 2015 at around EUR 5 billion. Thailand was France’s second largest customer and second largest supplier in Southeast Asia in 2024. France is Thailand’s 2nd supplier after Germany. The balance is in deficit for my country, at EUR 2 billion. France exports transport equipment, capital goods, luxury goods and agri-food. We import mostly capital goods, two-wheelers, agri-food, textiles, rubber, plastics and manufactured products.
Thailand hosts around 290 subsidiaries of large French groups and SMEs, employing approximately 45,000 people for a total turnover estimated at EUR 6.5 billion. At the end of 2024, the stock of French investments in Thailand is valued at USD 4 billion , making us 15th investor among all countries world-wide and 4th among Europeans after the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany.
If we look at the regional picture, our total trade with ASEAN is around EUR 40 billion a year. ASEAN is France’s 6th largest customer in the world, behind the EU, the United States, the United Kingdom, China and Switzerland. Given its role as a re-export hub, Singapore remains our number one customer in the region. ASEAN is our 5th largest supplier, after the EU, China, the United States and the United Kingdom.
What advice would you give Thai entrepreneurs who may be interested in trading with France?
First, I would say to go beyond the traditional clichés. Many Thais still tend to perceive France primarily as a tourist destination and the country of luxury rather than high-tech. However, it must be said that the opposite is also true, many French people only see Thailand as a holiday destination. This is why, in 2023, we organised a ‘Year of Innovation’ in Thailand to change mutual perceptions. Of course, we know that this takes time, but our dialogue on innovation is getting stronger. We can also rely on concrete cooperation in the fields of aeronautics and space as Thailand already uses aircraft and satellites manufactured in France.
Next, I would say to look more closely at France as a destination of choice for direct investment. France has for years been at the top of the ranking in Europe for foreign direct investment. Some Thai companies, like Thai Union, ThaiBev, NPS, Indorama, Mud & Hound, MinorGroup and Sea Value, have already invested in France about USD 1 billion, and we would be happy to welcome more.
What would you say have been your achievements since arriving in Thailand almost two years ago? What plans do you have for 2025 and beyond to foster closer ties?
As previously mentioned, Thailand’s former prime minister, Mr Srettha Thavisin, visited France twice in 2024, which represents an unusual acceleration of the high-level dialogue between our two countries. This is important to me because the decisions taken by our two leaders and the agreements signed during these visits have established the level of ambition of our relations and created the framework in which my mission must proceed.
In addition, the historic commemorations of 2025 and 2026 are already giving rise to an increase in activities and projects, all of which are designed to strengthen our ties in all fields, political, economic, security and defence, cultural, educational and scientific.
How big would you say the French community is in Thailand and what businesses are they involved in?
The French community in Thailand is very large; more than 15,000 people are registered at the embassy, which is not mandatory; thus, there are probably between 40,000 and 50,000 residing here. It is the first French community in this part of the world. There are French people in all sectors of activity, industry, services, education, research etc. Many French people have also chosen to retire in Thailand, and you can find them all over the country, in Bangkok, Pattaya, Hua Hin, Isaan, Koh Samui and Phuket.
The presence of this large community throughout the territory has led us to set up a whole network of honorary consuls for local services as well as French schools. There are now several in Bangkok as well as in Pattaya, Koh Samui, Phuket and, since September 2024, Chiang Mai.
Thais love to travel to France; what types of tourism activities are you planning to promote?
I would like to encourage our Thai friends to discover the tourist riches of my country beyond Paris or world-famous sites like Mont Saint-Michel and Provence. I would think, for example, that on the occasion of our historical commemorations, Thai tourists would like to discover the French regions visited in 1686 by Ambassador Kosa Pan before being received in Versailles by King Louis XIV or the cities where His Majesty King Chulalongkorn visited during his two stays in France in 1897 and 1907.
During your travels around the Kingdom, what has impressed you most?
What impresses me the most is the balance between tradition and creativity, very visible in Bangkok, but also in the different provinces I have been able to visit. This is something one can also enjoy in Japan, my wife’s home country. In addition to well-known Thai hospitality, this is probably what attracts so many foreign visitors to Thailand where you find both beautiful lifestyle traditions and modern art. To give you just one example, I was particularly impressed by the Thailand Biennale in Chiang Rai in 2023 which presented world-class contemporary art, making the best possible use of local traditions and heritage.
To conclude, do you have any final thoughts you would like to share with our readers?
I would like to reiterate how honoured and happy I am to serve a second time in Thailand, this time as Ambassador of France. I am very happy to be in a country where I feel quite comfortable and, in a bilateral context, has rarely been so dynamic and promising.
