China's BYD, Haier and more expand in Thailand, eyeing new trade war

Influx of workers and investment gives rise to new Chinatowns

20250114N Thailand Rayong

With the increased presence of Chinese workers in Thailand, Chinatowns have cropped up in cities like Rayong.

KENYA AKAMA, Nikkei staff writer

BANGKOK -- From automakers to electronics companies, Chinese corporations are expanding their footprint in Thailand as they brace for renewed Sino-American trade frictions under the second Trump administration.

Electric vehicle maker BYD employs roughly 200 Chinese workers at an assembly plant in eastern Thailand's Rayong. They work from morning to night, going back and forth between the factory and nearby dorms, and even work on the weekends, according to a Thai executive familiar with the plant.

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