ASEAN remains Thailand’s largest export market, accounting for 21 percent of its total trade value compared to the respective rates of 11 percent, 10.9 percent and 10.3 percent for the EU, the US and Japan, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) of Thailand.
The ministry said on January 27 that the country’s exports to the remaining countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) reached 1.1 trillion THB (36.3 billion USD) in 2009.
According to Vichak Visetnoi, Director-General of the MoC’s Foreign Trade Department, Thailand’s exports to the ASEAN market, especially neighbouring countries, are forecast to increase by 20-30 percent in the coming time.
The department plans to organise a series of promotional activities in Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia to boost trade and investment now that the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) has officially taken effect as of January 1, 2010.
Visetnoi said that AFTA not only increases Thailand ’s total export value but also helps develop the regional economy./.