Supachai to Fly for ART Talks with US on Tax by Month-End, Reaffirms No Retreat on Red Lines
Geopolitics
Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Supachai Suthamphan is set to travel for negotiations on the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade, or ART, with the United States later this month. The talks will be at a technical level under the Section 301 import tariff measures. Thailand will strive to safeguard its interests to the fullest and will not limit discussions solely to trade issues. As Thailand still runs a high trade surplus with the US, it is necessary to bring in Thai private sector investment in the US and other areas of cooperation to support the negotiations. On red lines that Thailand cannot accept, Supachai stated that technical-level discussions may only achieve partial progress, so policy-level talks must run in parallel to provide a broader picture beyond just the trade balance. Regarding the Commerce Ministry's plan to propose 13 additional export items for further tariff exemptions, Thailand has already secured exemptions for about 72 percent of all goods, with the remaining 28 percent still subject to tariffs. The ministry will consider submitting more proposals even though a relatively large share of exemptions has already been granted.
