Thai business delegation visits Philippines

BANGKOK, March 20 (TNA) - The Ministry of Commerce's Department of International Trade Promotion has led a delegation of Thai business operators to visit the Philippines, aimed to promote Thai products in the potential neighboring country in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Nuntawan Sakuntanaga, the department's director-general, on Thursday left Thailand with business operators of 73 local companies for Manila, where they are scheduled to present their products and meet potential Philippine partners at the "Thailand Week" fair, organized by the Thai Office of Commercial Affairs in the Philippines' capital from March 20-23, 2014. Nuntawan told journalists before the departure that Thailand wants to promote potential products with high quality and impressive designs, which should meet market demand in the Philippines. Nuntawan noted that Thai products to be promoted at the four-day event in Manila include tourism ones, targeted both major and minor cities of the Philippines, and the Thai delegates will also ask their Philippine partners to support their marketing. Besides, her department is encouraging Thai business operators to use trade privileges under free trade agreements (FTAs) and initiatives under the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), set to be formed by 2015, as tariffs of almost all imports in the AEC will be lifted. According to the senior official, the Philippines, with its total population of 103 million, is the second largest market in ASEAN and Thailand's 11th most important market in the world and 5th in the 10-member ASEAN bloc. Thai potential products in the Philippine market include automobiles and parts, chemical goods, electronic circuits, plastic pellets, rice, cosmetics, soaps, skincare products, computers and accessories, corn, plastic products, as well as machines and parts. (TNA)