Thailand and France mark 170 years with royal visit to Paris

Thailand and France mark 170 years of diplomatic relations as Their Majesties visit Paris, with trade, Thai-EU FTA talks and a 2026-2028 partnership plan in focus.

Thailand and France have maintained strong relations for more than a century, with regular exchanges at royal, government and private-sector levels.

Their relationship gained further momentum when His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Her Majesty Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana paid a state visit to France from 28 June to 2 July 2026.

The visit took place at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron as the two countries marked the 170th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

It was regarded as the first official visit to France by a Thai monarch in more than six decades, following the 1960 visit by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother. That visit was also Their Majesties’ first official visit to a European country as guests of state.

Their Majesties the King and Queen, accompanied by Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya, attended an official welcome ceremony at Hôtel des Invalides in Paris on 29 June 2026 local time. They were received by President Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron.

His Majesty the King then proceeded with the French President to the ceremonial ground, where a guard of honour paid tribute before His Majesty inspected the troops.

Their Majesties later proceeded to the Élysée Palace for a state banquet hosted in their honour by the French President and his wife.

During the visit, Their Majesties visited several places of significance, including the “La Mode en Majesté: Royal Thai Dress from Tradition to Modernity” exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

The exhibition, which runs until 1 November 2026, promotes Thai arts and crafts and carries forward royal aspirations to bring Thai craftsmanship to the international stage.

Centuries-old ties from Ayutthaya to modern diplomacy

According to the Royal Thai Embassy in Paris, relations between Thailand and France began during the Ayutthaya period under King Narai the Great and King Louis XIV of France.

France sent envoys to establish friendly relations with Siam in 1685. The following year, the Siamese envoy Chao Phraya Kosathibodi, also known as Kosa Pan, travelled to Versailles for an audience with King Louis XIV.

In the Rattanakosin period, diplomatic relations continued to develop. Thailand and France signed the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation on 15 August 1856.

Nikorndej Balankura currently serves as Thailand’s ambassador in Paris, while Jean-Claude Poimboeuf is the French ambassador to Thailand.

Thailand also has honorary consulates in Lyon and Marseille, while France maintains honorary consulates in Chiang Mai, Phuket, Surat Thani on Koh Samui and Chiang Rai.

Thailand and France marked the 160th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2016, with celebratory events held in 2017. The Royal Thai Embassy in Paris organised a seminar on “160 Years of Thai-French Relations” at the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales, or INALCO, in Paris on 1 March 2017.

Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya presided over the event. The French Embassy in Thailand also organised activities to mark the anniversary.

Trade, tourism and FTA talks strengthen economic ties

Economic and trade relations remain an important pillar of Thailand-France cooperation.

Bilateral trade between Thailand and France was valued at 160.19 billion baht in 2025, comprising 93.82 billion baht in imports and 66.37 billion baht in exports.

In the first quarter of 2026, bilateral trade reached 38.74 billion baht, including 20.46 billion baht in imports and 18.29 billion baht in exports.

Thailand’s key exports to France include food and agricultural products, aircraft, automobiles and other vehicles, chemicals, machinery, clothing, pharmaceuticals, computers, electrical equipment, petroleum products, iron and metal products, rubber products, plastic products, fragrances and cosmetics.

Major imports from France include automobiles and transport vehicles, food, machinery and parts, computers and electronics, clothing, petroleum and crude oil, pharmaceuticals, plastics and parts, lenses, chemicals, furniture, iron and related products, and garments.

More than 290 French companies currently operate in Thailand, creating more than 45,000 high-quality jobs. Their presence reflects confidence in Thailand’s economic potential and its role as a regional business base.

French tourists remain one of Thailand’s important European visitor markets. In the first four months of 2026, more than 378,566 French travellers visited Thailand, making France the ninth-largest source market for foreign arrivals.

Thailand is also placing strong emphasis on the Thailand-EU Free Trade Agreement. The talks have been under way for about two years and have gone through eight rounds of negotiations. The ninth round is scheduled to take place in Brussels, Belgium, in late June 2026.

Thailand aims to make further progress in the negotiations, with the goal of concluding the agreement as soon as possible, as it expects the Thailand-EU FTA to boost trade between Thailand and the European Union by at least 40%. 

New plan sets path towards Thailand-France strategic partnership

Thailand and France signed a new Joint Action Plan for 2026-2028 on 3 July 2026, deepening a partnership that both governments say is moving towards a full strategic partnership. The ceremony followed shortly after a state visit to France by Their Majesties the King and Queen of Thailand.

The plan was signed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow and Jean-Claude Poimboeuf, Ambassador of the French Republic to Thailand, who signed on behalf of the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

The new action plan succeeds a previous agreement that had reached the end of its term. It extends cooperation across a broad range of areas, including trade, investment, science and technology, transport, education, research and culture, as well as the exchange of academic best practice and closer people-to-people links.

Beyond renewing established pillars of cooperation, the plan identifies six new priority sectors for 2026-2028: energy transition, digital transformation, research and innovation, education, aviation and space.

Both sides described these additions as complementing Thailand and France’s already substantial economic ties and people-to-people exchanges, rather than marking a departure from them.

Officials said the expanded scope reflected the ambition set by the leaders of both countries to move the relationship towards a formal strategic partnership covering political, defence, security, economic and academic cooperation.