Adisai in swirl of talks with Beijing, Aust and the US
Thailand has proposed adding more than 100 merchandise items to a fast-track scheme aimed at broadening the free trade agreement (FTA) with China during the state visit of President Hu Jintao.
"We don't want to wait any longer and should go beyond basic products," Commerce Minister Adisai Bodharamik said in an interview. "Thailand plans to put more than 100 product items - both farm and industrial goods - into the FTA's early harvest with China."
Adisai said the Thai proposal was welcomed in bilateral talks yesterday with Yu Guangzhou, China's vice minister of trade, and that details would be worked out.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will raise the issue when he holds bilateral talks with Hu tomorrow.
The proposed expanded list under the Sino-Thai FTA includes rubber and rubber products, plas
tic pellets, canned food, canned seafood, chemicals, wood and wood products, synthetic fibre, thread, and seasoning sauces.
Thailand is negotiating FTAs with a number of countries. Apart from China, it has separate agreements with India and Bahrain, and is working on deals with Australia, Peru and the United States.
The FTA framework agreement between Thailand and Australia is due to be announced by the two leaders in Bangkok shortly.
"The rule of origin is the only issue which officials are still negotiating and could be concluded in the next two days before the leaders start meeting on Monday," Adisai said in reference to the FTA with Australia.
Vithun Tulyanond, head delegate working on the trade deal, said if the issue is resolved, the Thai-Australia FTA would be announced instead of latest progress of the framework.
"We [both countries] hope that the problem will be resolved. If that's the result, it will be the first comprehensive FTA for Thailand," Vithun said.
If successful, the Thai-Australia FTA will be signed early next year and implemented from the middle of 2004. Under the trade pact, Australia offered 6,100 items while Thailand put forward 5,500 items for tariff cuts.
Adisai also held a separate meeting with Australian Trade Minister Mark Vaile yesterday to consider progress of the FTA.
In a third round of bilateral talks with US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick yesterday, Adisai delivered a letter which noted that the US is an important trading ally of Thailand. The Kingdom's membership of the Group of 21 countries - key players at the recent WTO meeting in Cancun - was described as "temporary in nature".
Adisai said the US was satisfied that the Kingdom is in strong position and that an FTA should receive broad support from the US Congress.
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