The Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) endorsed more than 20 initiatives for 2019-2020 in Bangkok on May 31.

Thailand's Committee on the Promotion and Preservation of Cultural Wisdom has discussed progress of preparations for proposing that Tom Yum Kung be included in UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage of humanity list, by March 2020.

Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung, who is head of the country’s SOM ASEAN, led a Vietnamese delegation to the Joint Consultative Meeting (JCM) of the bloc and ASEAN Senior Officials' Meeting in Bangkok from May 28-29.

The China-ASEAN music week 2019 opened in Nanning, the capital of China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on May 28.

The Rice Policy and Management Committee of Thailand has announced rice stock release plans and expects over 34 million tonnes of rice throughout this year.

Thailand's public and private sectors, in cooperation with the Department of International Trade Promotion, the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Koelnmesse Company Limited of Germany, are organizing the annual THAIFEX - World of Food Asia, which opened on May 28.

Senior officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are gathering at meetings in Bangkok from May 28 to 31 to prepare for upcoming events of the bloc.

The Thai Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has joined hands with the German International Cooperation to launch the Thai Rice NAMA campaign to improve farming efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions for sustainable development, piloting first in six provinces.

The Minister of Commerce has invited delegates from a major shopping mall in Okinawa, Japan, for business negotiations in Thailand to promote the sale of Thailand’s innovative farm products in Japan.

The Ministry of Culture of Thailand will hold a week of cultural and arts performances, known as Mahorasop Sompoch, to celebrate the coronation of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua. The performances will be broadcast live in 170 countries worldwide.

The Thai Prime Minister has helped promote Thailand Fruit Festival 2019: The World’s Most Delicious Fruits Fair, stressing Thailand’s capabilities to become the global tropical fruit trading superpower.

Senior officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China held a consultation in Hangzhou city, China’s Zhejiang province, on May 19 to review cooperation, discuss measures to promote partnership, and prepare for the ASEAN-China post ministerial conference this August.

The World Bank has reassured support for Thailand’s business sector since the government has conducted bureaucratic reforms to facilitate businesses, reduce costs while the country’s ranking on difficulties versus eases in doing business has improved.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China hold the 17th senior officials’ meeting (SOM) on the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties on the East Sea (DOC) in Hangzhou, China, on May 17 and 18.