GSP issue could still be solved through negotiations, says Prayut
Thai businesses should not panic or speculate on the reason behind Washington’s decision to suspend its Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) to Thailand, said Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Prayut Chan-o-cha after presiding over the opening ceremony of the Digital Thailand Big Bang 2019 exhibition at Bitec Bangna today (October 28).
“Let’s not randomly guess the reason as United States must has its own regulations and standards to consider in providing GSP to other countries,” he said.
“The government has been aware of the issue for quite some times, and we are working hard to solve the problems,” Prayut said.
He added that the Ministry of Commerce is planning to negotiate with the US before suspension comes into effect in the next 6 months.
“However, we could not rely on the negotiations alone. Other domestic issues must also be addressed, such as labour rights,” he said, referring to the fact that the US could be viewing Thailand as not meeting international standards.
“The labour issues are tied with our legal system, and we cannot change the law whenever we like based on other countries’ opinions. This is a complicated issue that requires compromise and balance between domestic administration and maintaining international relationship,” he added.
Prayut said he will discuss the issue with the US representative at the 35th Asean Summit and Related Summits, to be held in Bangkok from October 31 to November 4.