The ministry said on January 27 thatthe country’s exports to the remaining countries of the Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations (ASEAN) reached 1.1 trillion THB (36.3 billionUSD) in 2009.
According to Vichak Visetnoi, Director-General of the MoC’s ForeignTrade Department, Thailand’s exports to the ASEAN market, especiallyneighbouring countries, are forecast to increase by 20-30 percent inthe coming time.
The department plans to organise a series of promotional activities inLaos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia to boost tradeand investment now that the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) hasofficially taken effect as of January 1, 2010.
Visetnoi said that AFTA not only increases Thailand ’s total export value but also helps develop the regional economy./.