Supachai insists ART must conclude this round, sends senior team to US to clear tax and export issues
Geopolitics
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Supachai Suthamphan revealed that she will visit the United States from 30 August to 1 September 2026 to negotiate the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade, or ART, to reach a conclusion. Thailand's technical team will travel first on 25 August and will bring relevant agencies to join discussions on all issues comprehensively. Previously, Thailand was assigned a tariff rate of 36% and was able to negotiate it down to 19% under the condition that non-tariff measure issues must be resolved, which the current government must continue. After the US Supreme Court issued a ruling on reciprocal tariff measures last February, the United States proceeded under Section 301. Issues related to Thailand include an investigation into forced labour, which led to an additional tariff of 12.5% because Thailand has not yet reached a conclusion under ART. At the same time, there is also the issue of structural overcapacity that is under consideration. Thailand's goal is to protect the country's interests and create balance in trade and investment between Thailand and the United States, including requesting an increase in the list of goods exempted from import tariffs under Section 301 to help reduce the impact on Thai businesses.
