Thai government considers 150-day measures to brace for US tariffs
Ekniti discussed Thailand’s strategy to respond to US trade barriers, with officials considering short-term measures to secure the greatest benefit for the country.
Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas convened an urgent meeting on Monday with Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow and Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun.
Joined by Thailand’s ambassador in Washington and private-sector representatives, the meeting aimed to set a national strategy in response to the United States’ new tariff policy and trade-restricting measures, in line with a Cabinet resolution intended to safeguard Thailand’s highest interests.
Ekniti said the emergency meeting with the foreign affairs and commerce ministers, together with private-sector representatives, was carried out under a Cabinet mandate assigning the three key economic ministries to integrate efforts and define the country’s strategy.
He said the talks were intended to map out strategy and set negotiating guidelines for engagements with US authorities going forward, with Thailand’s ambassador to the United States participating in the situation assessment.
Suphajee said discussions today would focus on the overall impact of the US tariff developments.
Sihasak said the US stance remained highly uncertain. He noted that the previous measure under negotiation at a 19% rate had been cancelled, and that it was possible a 10% rate could be applied temporarily before being raised to 15% in the future.
This volatility, he said, had significantly affected confidence among Thailand’s private sector.
“We must find measures to respond because uncertainty is very high. Even if there is an announcement to impose a 15% import tariff globally within 150 days, the US position is still unclear. The private sector needs certainty to plan trade, so we must gather information to define our stance and the clearest possible rate,” he said.
Sihasak added that the government also needed to clear up unresolved issues from earlier negotiations, particularly domestic coordination on market-opening measures, which are linked to the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, so that Thailand can establish a unified position on the same basis.
He said the Foreign Ministry was ready to support the national strategy by using Thailand’s embassy network in Washington to closely monitor developments, while pressing ahead to engage senior US agencies, including the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), the US Department of the Treasury, the White House and the US Department of State.
Lavaron Sangsnit, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Finance, added that the meeting had considered approaches to respond to the new US measures, with a focus on short-term management within a 150-day timeframe to secure the greatest benefit for the country.
“As an initial step, the government is considering the feasibility of using an export-acceleration strategy during this 150-day window to mitigate economic impacts, before assessing the US stance and the effects in the next phase,” he said.
He added that the government would also prepare in-depth discussions with the Ministry of Industry and the private sector to better understand business expectations and align perspectives in the same direction, in order to deliver a coherent set of measures.
