French ambassador to Thailand Jacques Lapouge stated that there is a rising interest in investment in the Eastern Economic Corridor. This caught the attention of a number of French companies whose work revolves around railways, engineering, wastewater management, technology, smart cities as and scientific research. 

The deal will follow the EU-Thailand FTA framework. In 2014, EU-FTA negotiations were stopped due to the military coup in Thailand only to continue in 2017 after Thailand made efforts to re-establish a democratic society. Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha visited Paris and met French President Emmanuel Macron in June 2018. He was also present in Toulouse when Thai Airways International and Airbus finalised a deal for a storage space at U-Tapao airport, Rayong, for aircraft maintenance. 
 
The French embassy showed that both countries benefitted from imports, highlighting that in 2018, France’s imports from Thailand were €2.81bn, and the ones from France were valued at €1.86. The ambassador expressed his intentions, on behalf of France, saying ‘Thailand is important in Southeast Asia. We will work with the prime minister and the government of Thailand, that's our intention.’  

2019 will mark the 333rd year since Siamese ambassadors visited France in 1686.