The partnership is the priority. Thailand’s private sector is urging the government to accelerate trade talks with the United States, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a positive and productive relationship with one of the Kingdom’s most important trading partners.

The Thai Chamber of Commerce said some of its members were justifiably concerned about recent U.S. trade policy developments and Thailand will need to respond quickly because the U.S. was the Kingdom’s top export market last year.

“Time is very short. If we don’t hurry up and don’t respond officially to what is happening, we will run into problems. We have to be prepared and respond in a way that is fair to all parties,” said Poj Aramwattananont, Vice Chairman of the Chamber.

Chaichan Charoensuk, chairman of the Thai National Shippers Council, said the U.S. will want to reduce its trade deficit with Thailand and the government needs to be prepared for that. Thailand is a developing nation with an export-driven economy, and such nations typically have trade imbalances with more developed counterparts.

According to the U.S. Trade Representative, The U.S. had a $45.6 billion trade deficit with Thailand last year. Bilateral trade with Thailand totaled an estimated $81 billion in 2024. America exported goods to Thailand in 2024 worth $17.7 billion, up 14.7 percent ($2.3 billion) from 2023. The U.S. imported goods from Thailand totaling $63.3 billion in 2024, up 12.5 percent ($7 billion) from 2023.

Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce, however, reported a lower U.S. trade deficit with Thailand of $35.4 billion.

Poj said that Thailand may have to adjust its tariffs on American imports. The Chamber called on the government to establish a special working group to address U.S. trade policy issues.

Chaichan said the government needs a clear negotiation strategy or a defined single trade policy, and those need to be developed rapidly. The private sector could play a positive and creative role in helping to develop those, he said.

Companies directly involved in trade with the U.S. have clear and detailed information that could be used to plan an effective negotiation strategy, he added.