Through the Treaty of Amity and Commerce in 1833, Thailand became an important trading partner and ally of the United States. This is also dating back to the establishment of diplomatic ties. Under the protection of the United States 2002 bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), Thailand and the United States would meet regularly. They would discuss ways to expand trade and address outstanding issues, which would be related to intellectual property, customs, and agriculture, and other issues.
Thailand and various countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Peru, and India, has administered bilateral trade agreements. Thailand and the European Union start negotiations but are suspended at the moment. Thailand is a member of ASEAN which implements and implemented a number of FTAs with trading partners. The ASEAN was established in 1967 and is currently made up of ten members including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. In addition, for the future, Thailand is interested in joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) (Trade Agreements, 2021). They have formed a committee to study the impact of the CPTPP trade pact.
Due to Thailand being signed to a treaty, they are not a party that has signed an agreement to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement. High tariffs in certain areas are still an obstruction to market access according to the International Trade Administration. Licensing requirements and localization barriers are considered not tariff barriers that prevent commerce. Price controls and excise taxes, based on an exceedingly complex tax structure, also negatively affect international trade (Import Requirements, 2021).
Import Requirements and Documentation
For 26 categories of items, import licenses are required. Imports of goods not requiring licenses must comply with applicable regulations of concerned agencies, including, in some cases, extra fees and certificate of origin requirements. Also, many products are subjected to import control:
- Importation of processed foods, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, vitamins, and cosmetics require licensing from the Food and Drug Administration, Ministry of Public Health.
- Importation of tungsten oxide, tin ores, and metallic tin in quantity exceeding two kilograms require permission from the Department of Mineral Resources, Ministry of Industry.
- Importation of arms, ammunition, or explosive devices requires licensing from the Ministry of Interior.
- Importation of antiques or objects of art, whether registered or not, require permission from the Fine Arts Department, Ministry of Education.
