DPM to meet with Thailand's top commercial envoys

BANGKOK, February 14 (TNA) - Thai Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak is scheduled to hold a meeting with the country's top commercial envoys stationed in foreign economies worldwide next month. Commerce Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong told journalists on Wednesday that Deputy Prime Minister Somkid, who oversees economic affairs, will meet with the top Thai commercial envoys in Bangkok on February 19, during which a proactive plan to boost Thai exports in all markets across the world in 2018 will be discussed. Sontirat said that the projection of Thailand's export growth this year is also expected to be raised at next Monday's meeting, after his ministry has initially estimated that the country's export growth in 2018 should stand at 5-7 per cent year-on-year. Besides, measures to assist private exporters by the Thai government will also be discussed, including those concerning trade regulations, the fluctuation of foreign exchanges and the solution to the trade protectionist policy of trading partners, namely non-tariff barriers. The minister revealed that his ministry's integrated strategies on expanding Thailand's trade and investment to neighboring countries in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), especially to Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam, known as the CLMV group, will also be raised for talks at next Monday's meeting. (TNA)