Thailand is pursuing a partnership with Hong Kong to collaborate on developing a financial hub serving as a gateway to ASEAN markets, Deputy Finance Minister Paopoom Rojanasakul announced after meeting with Hong Kong's Financial Secretary Paul Chan at the APEC Finance Ministers' Meeting in Lima, Peru. The initiative aims to enhance mutual benefits as ASEAN, Hong Kong, and China become increasingly interconnected through trade and investment. Both countries praised the successful integration of Thailand's PromptPay with Hong Kong's Faster Payment System, facilitating rapid cross-border payments. In 2023, bilateral trade between Thailand and Hong Kong reached USD13.7bn, up 6.94% year-on-year, with Thailand posting a trade surplus of USD8.48bn.