Myanmar, Thailand 7th JTC Meeting set July 7-8

BANGKOK, July 5 (TNA) - Myanmar and Thailand will hold their Joint Trade Commission (JTC) Meeting, the 7th of its kind, in Nay Pyi Daw, Myanmar's capital, during July 7-8, 2016. Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn told journalists on Tuesday that she will lead a Thai delegation to the Myanmar capital to attend the 7th Myanmar-Thai JTC. Apiradi said issues to be discussed at the 7th Myanmar-Thai JTC include a target to boost bilateral trade to 10-12 billion US dollars by 2017 by promoting more border trade between both neighbours, first through the Mae Sot-Myawaddy link in Thailand's northwestern Tak Province and Myanmar's southeastern Myawaddy Town, as a pilot project. Besides, the CLMVT Business Council will be established to help solve trade problems of the private sector between Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand, as well as to consider using local currencies in special economic zones along the border, to facilitate Thai business operators who invest in Myanmar, to hold talks on bilateral free trade areas (FTAs) through land transport, to concretely drive forward the development of the Dawei special economic zone project and to implement a Myanmar-Thai spun-clothes route to connect both countries' tourism and boost income for local communities of both neighbouring countries. Presently, Myanmar is ranked Thailand's 8th trading partner in the ASEAN Community (AC), with their average bilateral trade value of about 7.37 billion US dollars annually, about 5.15 per cent year-on-year growth. (TNA)