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Thailand

FTAs became a big social and political issue in Thailand ever since former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra agreed, in 2003, to negotiate a comprehensive bilateral deal with the United States. A broad multisectoral coalition in Thailand, called FTA Watch, monitors and mobilises around Thailand’s FTA policies quite frequently, given the deep-cutting and far-reaching nature of these deals for Thai society.

Apart from the Thai-US talks, Thailand has signed a limited FTA with Laos (1991) and another with China (agriculture only, 2003), framework agreements with Bahrain (as stepping stone toward an FTA with the GCC, 2002), Peru (2003) and India (2003), and fairly comprehensive FTAs with Australia (2003), New Zealand (2005) and Japan (2007).

Since 2006 and the current political crisis, Thailand’s pace of FTA negotiations has slowed down. (The government is technically still in negotiation with the US, EFTA, India, Peru and Papua New Guinea, while there has been talk of further deals with Chile, the Czech Republic, Hong Kong, Mexico, Pakistan, South Africa and Canada.) Meanwhile, civil society groups have insisted that the new Thai constitution include a provision, in Section 190, that requires Parliamentary ratification and much more public information about all FTAs that the Thai cabinet considers going into.

Regionally, Thailand is member of ASEAN and therefore part of that bloc’s FTA dealings with China, Korea, India, Australia/New Zealand and the EU. It is also part of BIMSTEC and, under Thaksin at least, was the protagonist pushing for greater trade and investment integration in the Mekong region under ACMECS, a framework for cooperation between Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

last update: May 2012
Photo: FTA Watch


FTA talks being accelerated
Negotiators are revving up free trade talks with dialogue partners for the remaining months this year and look set to resume talks with the EU and join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a newly formed bloc of 11 Pacific Rim nations excluding the US, next year.
Thailand sees shortcut to Belt and Road with Sri Lanka trade deal
Two nations to kick off bilateral FTA talks in Bangkok.
Moving forward in global trade
Thailand has entered into negotiations for a number of free trade agreements (FTA). Its first FTA was the Asean Free Trade Area, signed in 1992. The country has six FTAs with India, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Peru and Chile.
Thailand proposes FTA talks with Bangladesh
Thailand has proposed to start Free Trade Agreement or FTA talks with Bangladesh as Bangkok wants to enhance the economic cooperation with Dhaka.
Thailand seeks to change FTA with China
Thailand is seeking a review of the Thailand-China free trade agreement as the 0% import duty for electric vehicles could derail the country’s plan to attract foreign manufacturers.
Sri Lanka-Thailand reach consensus on FTA
Sri Lanka and Thailand have come to a consensus on a free trade agreement covering trade in goods. The MoU will be signed in August.
Govt readies for US deal
Thai Commerce Minister said problems between Thailand and the United States could be thrashed out in ongoing negotiations on a trade and investment partnership.
Thailand seeks early decision from India on proposed free trade pact
With US, EU gripped by uncertainty, Bangkok looks towards Asian partners
Thailand presses for free trade agreement with India
Thailand is encouraging India to wrap up a bilateral free trade agreement covering services, goods and investment after more than ten years of negotiations.
Only 11.4% of SMEs say they are set for AEC
Nien out of 10 Thai small and medium-sized enterprises say they are not ready for the Asean Economic Community

    Links


  • FTA Watch (Thailand)
    A broad social coalition monitoring, analysing and mobilising around the Thai government’s FTA strategies.
  • Thai FTA
    A Thai government website, produced by the Department of Trade Negotiations, on Thailand’s different FTA negotiations.