
On February 11, 2025, Thai Prime Minister Petuntan Chinawa spoke about her visit to China after a cabinet meeting at the government building.
Asked about China’s views on Thailand’s “entertainment complex” policy, Petuntan said the Chinese leader asked about the project.

According to Petuntan, the “entertainment complex” is not a pure casino tourism project, and the proportion of casinos is less than 10% of the entire complex. The Thai government’s planning focuses on creating family-friendly entertainment spaces that ensure that visitors of all ages, including children, can participate, and casinos are just a small part of that.

Petuntan further said that Thailand needs to pay attention to the existence of illegal casinos and other illegal activities at present. If you don’t deliberately avoid this issue, you have to admit that it does exist. So, where do these illicit funds end up? From a legal point of view, the establishment of a special economic zone means that the Thai government can collect taxes according to the law and use this tax to fund children’s education or other national development projects. This is the legal and correct tax system.
However, the focus is often on the casino segment, but in reality, the “entertainment complex” is essentially a “man-made tourism” that attracts international visitors, boosts tourism growth, and in turn drives the hospitality and local economy, as well as creates more jobs. That’s the core of the project. She added that China was also concerned about this and asked her about it, which she also gave in detail.

Asked if China had expressed concerns about the project, Petuntan responded that the Chinese side had expressed only some views, noting that the establishment of a casino could raise problems. In this regard, the Thai side expressed its willingness to listen to the views of the Chinese side, because China and Thailand are friendly and fraternal countries, and the two sides have always maintained good relations.
She further said that if the Chinese side has any suggestions, the Thai side will listen carefully and consider them.
Petuntan said that the Chinese side talked about the pros and cons of casinos and the possible impact of casinos, citing the example of Macau itself.