On 3 July 2023, H.E. Ms. Lada Phumas, Ambassador of Thailand to Malaysia was invited as guest of honour to the Joint Venture (JV) announcement between AAPICO Hitech Public Company Limited (AAPICO) and PROTON presided over by YB Senator Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) of Malaysia at PROTON Centre of Excellence, Selangor.

     
          H.E. Ambassador Lada congratulated Mr. Yeap Swee Chuan, President and CEO of AAPICO and also founder of AAPICO, which he founded in Thailand in 1996, and the management team of PROTON on their partnership. The announced JV is considered AAPICO’s first expansion of business from Thailand to Malaysia. In this regard, AAPICO will start manufacturing automotive parts including hot stamping parts, assembly parts and chassis parts for PROTON.

  
          On this occasion, H.E. Ambassador Lada discussed and was of the same view with YB Senator Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz on the appropriate timing for the Thailand-Malaysia Joint Trade Committee (JTC) to reconvene. The upcoming 3rd JTC Meeting will be hosted by Malaysia. AAPICO is considered one of Thailand-based largest auto part companies and PROTON is Malaysia’s first national car maker.