Thailand, Indonesia Set $20bn Trade Target in Historic 2030 Roadmap

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul made an official visit to Indonesia on August 3-4, 2026 — the first official visit by a sitting Thai prime minister to Indonesia in 15 years. He met Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at the Presidential Palace (Istana Merdeka) in Jakarta, where the two leaders jointly launched the "Indonesia-Thailand Strategic Partnership Roadmap 2026-2030," targeting $20 billion in bilateral trade by 2030, alongside new direct flight routes connecting the two countries.

A historic visit that breaks a "routine" relationship

Indonesia's president called the visit "historic and very important," noting that while Thailand and Indonesia have long enjoyed close ties with no major bilateral disputes, the relationship had become too "routine" — lacking regular leader-to-leader engagement. Prabowo stressed the two countries "must meet and coordinate more often" so cooperation translates into concrete, mutual benefits for people on both sides.

During the visit, Anutin also offered condolences for the passing of Princess Bajrakitiyabha in June and extended birthday wishes for King Vajiralongkorn. Both leaders share military backgrounds, which the two sides noted helped set a warm tone for the talks.

Photo: Picture by Rory Arnold / No 10 Downing Street - UK Government — CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

A $20 billion trade target, and the first-ever Joint Trade Commission

At the heart of the visit are the economic numbers. Bilateral trade between Thailand and Indonesia currently stands at roughly $17-18 billion a year (Thailand's exports to Indonesia were about $9.46 billion in 2024, while Indonesia's exports to Thailand were about $7.72 billion in 2025). Under the new roadmap, the two countries aim to lift that figure to $20 billion by 2030 — a roughly 15-20% increase in under five years.

To make that happen, the two governments agreed to establish a Joint Trade Commission — the first formal bilateral trade mechanism in the history of Thailand-Indonesia relations — tasked with identifying new business opportunities and resolving existing trade barriers. They also discussed a Local Currency Transaction framework to reduce exchange-rate volatility, and opening up halal-sector supply chains to regional and global markets together.

President Prabowo said at the joint press conference: "Economic cooperation remains a key pillar of our bilateral relationship. We are optimistic that the trade target of US$20 billion by 2030 can be achieved." Prime Minister Anutin responded: "We agree that Thailand and Indonesia have significant potential to increase the volume of bilateral trade and investment."

Photo: Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Indonesia (Kementerian Pertahanan Republik Indonesia) — Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)

Food security, energy, and the digital economy

Beyond trade figures, the 2026-2030 roadmap covers cooperation across several fronts. On food security, the two countries agreed to deepen cooperation on agricultural technology, food processing, and supply-chain resilience — an increasingly important issue amid volatile weather and global commodity prices.

On energy, the two sides will pursue cooperation through the Indonesia-Thailand Energy Forum, focused on energy security and the transition to renewables. On the digital economy, both sides agreed to expand digital-technology cooperation, building on Thailand's own rise as a regional hub for data-center and AI investment (related: Thailand's foreign investment surges 80% on data centers and AI).

Security and defense cooperation was also raised, with both sides agreeing to expand joint military exercises and personnel exchange programs — a natural fit given the two leaders' shared military backgrounds.

New direct flights: Bangkok-Jakarta and Denpasar-Phuket

One immediately tangible result for travelers is the launch of two new direct flight routes between Thailand and Indonesia: Bangkok-Jakarta, and Denpasar (Bali)-Phuket. Airline TransNusa will operate the Bangkok-Jakarta route twice daily starting August 6, 2026.

President Prabowo said the new routes will help strengthen people-to-people ties between the two nations, while TransNusa expressed confidence the new route will boost mobility, support both economic and tourism ties, and contribute to the continued growth of Southeast Asia's aviation industry.

Photo: Md Shaifuzzaman Ayon — CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

For Thai travelers planning to use the new routes to visit Bali or Jakarta, taking out international travel insurance beforehand is still worth considering — especially while the new routes are just getting started and schedules may not yet be fully settled.

What's next: business ties, and gearing up for the 2028 ASEAN chair

On August 4, Anutin attended the opening of the Thailand-Indonesia Business Forum, organized by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) together with the Thai Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia, aimed at connecting the two countries' business sectors and identifying further trade and investment opportunities. He then held talks at the ASEAN Secretariat and met further with the private sector before returning to Thailand.

The visit comes not long after Thailand negotiated tariff measures with the United States (related: Thailand-US tariff negotiation), reflecting an active period of economic diplomacy for Thailand on the world stage. The visit is also seen as groundwork for Thailand's regional role, as the country is set to take over the ASEAN chairmanship in 2028. Strengthening ties with Indonesia — ASEAN's most populous member state, with the two countries together representing over 350 million people — is therefore an important step in Thailand's diplomatic and economic preparation.

Key facts

• Visit dates: August 3-4, 2026 (first in 15 years)
• Location: Presidential Palace (Istana Merdeka), Jakarta
• Trade target: $20 billion by 2030 (up from roughly $17-18 billion today)
• New mechanism: first-ever Joint Trade Commission
• New flight routes: Bangkok-Jakarta (from Aug 6, 2026) and Denpasar-Phuket

Progress on the roadmap, including concrete results from the Joint Trade Commission and the Thailand-Indonesia Business Forum, should become clearer over the coming months — a key measure of whether this pledge turns into real benefits for businesses and citizens in both countries, as both leaders emphasized throughout the visit.