At an event hosted by APARC’s Southeast Asia Program, His Excellency Dr. Suriya Chindawongse, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand to the United States, offered a rare look into Southeast Asia’s mounting geopolitical pressures. The talk, From Tech to Tariffs to Transnational Crime: ASEAN’s Strategy for Political Resilience and Economic Renewal, came at a moment of acute tension: just one day earlier, border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia flared again, prompting evacuations of hundreds of thousands on both sides.

Against this backdrop, the ambassador framed his remarks around what he called the “Three T's—plus one”: Truce, Tariffs, Technology, and Transnational Crime. Together, he argued, they illustrate both ASEAN’s vulnerabilities and its strategic opportunities in a volatile Indo-Pacific.

Sign up for APARC newsletters to receive our event invitations and programming highlights >

Truce Shaken by New Violence
 

The ambassador opened with the most urgent issue: the renewed Thailand–Cambodia conflict. A long-disputed border zone erupted again after what he described as a newly laid landmine exploded in Thai territory, wounding a Thai soldier and triggering a cascade of artillery exchanges. Some of the mines were likely newly laid, based on independent expert analysis of images shared by Thailand's military.

“Bottom line: We did not start this. We do not want this. But we must defend our people,” he stated, noting that Thailand has paused the October joint peace declaration until conditions stabilize. Chindawongse emphasized that regional economic integration cannot advance if member states are engaged in open conflict.

Tariffs and Trade: Hedging in a Fragmented Economy
 

Moving from crisis to strategy, the ambassador emphasized that ASEAN’s ability to bring major powers to the same table remains one of the region’s strongest assets. Although the bloc cannot direct Indo-Pacific geopolitics, its forums remain among the few spaces where the United States, China, and other partners can still diplomatically engage. He described ASEAN states as “hedging, not choosing sides” amid shifting U.S. tariff policies and great power competition. Thailand, for example, is negotiating what could become the most ambitious U.S.–ASEAN trade arrangement yet—one that would nearly eliminate tariffs on all American goods entering Thailand and commit Bangkok to significant purchases of U.S. agricultural and energy products. Southeast Asia is also diversifying, expanding new agreements with Europe, the Gulf, and within ASEAN itself. Thailand is leading negotiations on the Digital Economy Framework Agreement, an attempt to harmonize digital rules across all 11 ASEAN countries.

Technology: Southeast Asia’s Semiconductor Moment
 

The region’s greatest economic opportunity, he argued, lies in semiconductors and high-tech manufacturing. ASEAN’s semiconductor exports now rival traditional hubs, and Thailand has already attracted more than $7 million USD in investments. Yet the opportunity is shadowed by U.S.–China competition. With Washington seeking to reduce Chinese content in sensitive supply chains, ASEAN countries face increasing pressure to balance strategic economic relationships with both superpowers.

Transnational Crime: Online Scams as a Regional Security Threat
 

The ambassador closed with an issue he said is both economically corrosive and morally urgent: the rise of online scam syndicates in Southeast Asia. These operations, estimated to generate up to a trillion dollars globally, combine cyber fraud with human trafficking, coercing victims into running the scams under slave-like conditions.

Thailand, he said, is convening the first international conference on defeating online scam networks, bringing together UNODC and governments worldwide. “This is not a problem any country can solve alone,” he stressed.
 

Key Takeaways
 

• Renewed border violence underscores ASEAN's fragility. Deadly fighting between Thailand and Cambodia resumed just days before the Ambassador’s talk at Stanford, displacing hundreds of thousands and halting implementation of a fragile peace roadmap.
• ASEAN economies are hedging, not aligning. Thailand seeks deepened U.S. trade ties while expanding agreements with Europe, the Gulf, and ASEAN partners.
• Southeast Asia is a rising semiconductor hub. High-tech investment is accelerating, but geopolitical uncertainty complicates supply chain planning.
• Online scam syndicates are a major regional threat. Their fusion of financial fraud and human trafficking demands coordinated international action.
• ASEAN’s “convening power” remains central. The bloc cannot dictate Indo-Pacific strategy but offers platforms where major powers can engage, even in periods of heightened U.S.–China competition.
   

Pleng Snidvongs Kruesopon is a pre-law student at Stanford University and co-founder of Thailand's largest youth-led, UN-recognized, and award-winning coral restoration NGO, Care for Coral. She is featured on Forbes 30 Under 30 and Thailand's Future 100 List, and is passionate about environmental justice, human rights, and international diplomacy.