The "2026 Zhejiang International Trade Exhibition (Thailand)," organized by the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Commerce, ran from September 16 to 18 at the IMPACT Exhibition Center in Bangkok — the fourth consecutive year the fair has been held in Thailand, drawing nearly a thousand Zhejiang companies spanning manufacturing, trade services and technology innovation. The opening ceremony itself has been covered separately; this article focuses on the industrial strengths Zhejiang is showcasing at the fair, and the opportunities for these strengths to align with Thailand's own strategic industries.

This year's fair covers categories including smart security and smart home products; building, lighting and electrical systems; building materials and engineering; and building safety and protection, with a dedicated "Built Environment and Construction Lighting" zone showcasing Zhejiang companies' latest achievements in smart building products, LED lighting and building materials, aiming to present Thai and wider Southeast Asian buyers with an image of "Zhejiang-made, made to fit demand." According to organizers, the zone brings together products from manufacturers and technology developers across Zhejiang, spanning building and industrial lighting equipment, energy-efficient building materials and smart home control systems, giving Thai companies a direct channel to meet Zhejiang manufacturers and discuss solutions for improving their own operational and energy efficiency. But as a major economic province of China, what Zhejiang has brought to this fair goes well beyond building materials and lighting — its advantageous industries in clean energy, digital technology and advanced electronics are equally central to this year's showcase.

In the clean energy sector, Zhejiang's new energy exports have grown strikingly in recent years. According to Zhejiang commerce authorities, in the first two months of this year the province exported new energy vehicles worth 11.53 billion yuan, up 111.1% year-on-year, with export volume reaching 98,000 units, up 98.4%, reaching 125 countries and regions worldwide — with exports to ASEAN growing by as much as 140%. Between January and May this year, Zhejiang's "new three" export categories — new energy vehicles, energy-storage lithium batteries and photovoltaic products — together totaled 75.94 billion yuan, up 51.7% year-on-year, underscoring the province's competitive strength across the entire new-energy supply chain.

Specific to the Thai market, Zhejiang automaker Geely has recently achieved a breakthrough "zero-to-one" entry into Thailand, becoming a flagship example of Zhejiang new-energy vehicle companies accelerating their push into ASEAN markets. Observers note that this fair's concentrated showcase of Zhejiang's clean-energy products and technology is, to some extent, an extension of that outward-expansion trend into the exhibition space — offering a direct channel for Zhejiang companies to find local partners in Thailand and ASEAN and expand their sales and production networks.

Looking at Thailand's own industrial planning, Zhejiang's above-mentioned strengths align closely with the strategic industry directions Thailand has been pursuing. The Thai government has designated the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economic model as one of its national strategic priorities, projected to generate roughly 4.4 trillion baht in economic value over the next six years — about 24% of Thailand's GDP. Thailand has also set a target for 30% of vehicles produced domestically to be zero-emission electric vehicles by 2030, with seven Chinese new-energy vehicle makers already having set up assembly plants in the country, representing combined investment of nearly 70 billion baht. In addition, Thailand's national energy plan calls for raising the share of renewable power generation to 55% by 2040, with planned new solar capacity of 22.8 gigawatts — sending a clear market-demand signal to Zhejiang companies in solar components and energy storage systems.

Most of the smart building and security products Zhejiang brought to the fair already incorporate IoT sensors, remote monitoring and data analytics, reflecting a broader trend of traditional building-materials manufacturing moving toward smart, digital solutions. In digital technology and advanced electronics, Thailand has in recent years pursued its "Digital Thailand" strategy, designating digital creative industries and electronics (particularly upstream and smart electronics) as two of its five national strategic industries, aiming to progress step by step from digital infrastructure toward a digital economy and digital society. As a pioneering province in China's digital economy development, Zhejiang has mature experience and supply chains in the Internet of Things, smart manufacturing and digital solutions, complementing Thailand's related strategic plans and leaving considerable room for technical cooperation in niche areas such as smart buildings and smart security.

A joint statement previously issued by China and Thailand also explicitly called for deepening cooperation in economic resilience, high-quality development, clean energy, the digital economy and green development, specifically encouraging companies in semiconductors, batteries, electric vehicles and high-end electronics to strengthen exchange and cooperation. China has remained Thailand's largest trading partner for nine consecutive years, providing a solid bilateral foundation for Zhejiang and Thailand to pursue deeper cooperation in these priority industries. Observers note that as China-Thailand trade cooperation gradually shifts from traditional agricultural and textile trade toward higher-value-added sectors such as new energy and digital technology, industry showcases like Zhejiang's fair are likely to play an increasingly important role in the two countries' economic and trade ties going forward.

Members of the Thai business community say the industrial strengths Zhejiang is showcasing at this fair fit squarely with Thailand's current core needs for investment promotion and industrial upgrading: on one hand, Thailand hopes to leverage China's mature new-energy and digital-technology supply chains to speed up delivery of its BCG economy and EV industry targets; on the other, Zhejiang companies hope to use Thailand's geographic and market advantages as an ASEAN regional hub to extend their products and technology further across neighboring Southeast Asian countries — a strategy of "using Thailand as a springboard" into the wider regional market. One Thai business representative noted that as Chinese new-energy vehicle makers continue investing in factories in Thailand, related local supply-chain and after-sales service industries are also likely to expand, creating more job opportunities and room for technology transfer for Thailand.

Organizers said the fair will also feature a series of dedicated matchmaking sessions and industry forums aimed at brokering concrete cooperation between Zhejiang companies and local Thai and ASEAN businesses in fields such as clean energy, digital technology and smart buildings. As of now, the organizers have not released specific figures on signed contracts or cooperation deals, with related outcomes expected to be announced progressively once the fair concludes. The Zhejiang Provincial Department of Commerce said it will keep tracking the progress of cooperation projects generated by this year's fair and plans to expand both its scale and the range of exhibited product categories next year, further cementing Bangkok's role as a key window for Zhejiang companies expanding into the ASEAN market.