Editor’s Note
This article reports on the launch of a major trade platform aimed at strengthening the gem and jewelry supply chain in Thailand’s Chanthaburi province, a key global hub. The collaboration between Thai and Chinese industry leaders underscores the sector’s international importance and drive toward greater integration.
On December 9, 2023, the grand launch ceremony for the “Jewelry Leads, Connecting the World: Thailand Huatai Jewelry Trading Platform and Chanthaburi Building Supply Chain” was held in front of the Chanthaburi Building in Chanthaburi Province. The event was hosted by Thailand Huatai Group and the Guangdong Colored Gemstone & Jewelry Chamber of Commerce, co-organized by China’s National Gemstone Testing Center (NGTC), GIT Gem and Jewelry Institute of Thailand, Guangdong Gem & Jewelry Exchange, and Taobao Live, with the Thai-Chinese Young Entrepreneurs Association as the supporting unit.
Approximately 80 leaders, elites, and entrepreneurs from the jewelry industries of Thailand and China attended the ceremony. Distinguished guests included Thanapong Chan, Chairman of the Chanthaburi Provincial Administrative Organization; Kittaphon Chotisuwarn, Mayor of Chanthaburi City; Adisak Thawornwiriyanan, President of the Chanthaburi Gem and Jewelry Traders Association; and Jirawut Suwanat, Director of the Chanthaburi Provincial Commercial Office.
He emphasized that the initiative represents a new way of thinking and a more efficient, transparent supply chain management model that will greatly facilitate the circulation of the jewelry industry and strengthen economic ties within and beyond the region.
He added that GIT is committed to ensuring Thai jewelry meets international standards through analysis, testing, grading, standardization, and certification, and believes the new platform will further this goal.
He linked the development to China’s Belt and Road Initiative and Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) policy, noting Chanthaburi’s prime location within the EEC core area.
Zhao Zhendong, Chairman of Thailand Huatai Group, expressed his gratitude and introduced the platform.
He reported successful trial operations over three months, with a hundred-person team selling daily, and expressed hope for government support to elevate Chanthaburi’s influence in the global jewelry sector.
Following the speeches, 13 distinguished guests participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony, officially launching the platform and supply chain. The event featured traditional lion dances, symbolizing good fortune.
After the ceremony, guests toured the Chanthaburi Building with Chairman Zhao Zhendong, observing the jewelry supply chain procurement and sales steps and experiencing live-streaming e-commerce firsthand. Leaders and guests expressed expectations that the platform would play a stronger linking role in the Thai-Chinese jewelry supply chain and live-streaming, injecting new vitality into the Thai jewelry industry’s development and transformation towards an innovative internet-based business model.
The year 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Its deepening development overseas, combined with Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor policy, has presented unprecedented opportunities for Thailand’s distinctive jewelry industry. Chanthaburi Province, located in the core area of the EEC, shines with potential in future Thai-Chinese jewelry trade. The official launch of the Thailand Huatai Jewelry Trading Platform and Chanthaburi Building supply chain signifies a new milestone in the development of jewelry trade between Thailand and China.