Thailand's border trade keeps growing

BANGKOK, November 26 (TNA) - Thailand's border trade with neighboring countries in the ASEAN Community (AC) has kept growing and is expected to meet the Ministry of Commerce's target in 2018. Adul Chotinisakorn, Director-General of the ministry's Department of Foreign Trade, told journalists of the information on Monday, stating that Thailand's border and transit trade during the first 10 months of this year reached about 1.16 trillion baht, a 6.04 per cent year-on-year increase, with the Thai Kingdom gaining a trade surplus of about 141.22 billion baht. Adul reported that Thailand's border trade with the neighboring countries alone stood at about 931.68 billion baht during the January-October 2018 period, with the Thai Kingdom gaining a trade surplus of about 149.48 billion baht. According to the senior official, Thailand's border trade with Malaysia was on top of the list during the first 10 months of this year, standing at about 476.49 billion baht, followed by the country's border trade with Lao PDR, Myanmar and Cambodia at about 177.04 billion baht, 160.19 billion baht and 117.96 billion baht respectively. The senior official noted that activities to be organized by his ministry later this month and next month and more exports to Myanmar's border areas after recent floods in the neighboring country, especially construction materials, are expected to further stimulate Thailand's border trade in 2018 to meet the official target although the Malaysian-Thai border trade has been, somewhat, affected by the ongoing trade war between the United States and China. (TNA)