Bangkok: Deputy Minister of Commerce insists political accidents will not disrupt trade negotiations, stating that he will wait for the new Cabinet to finalize further details. Mr. Chantawit Tantasith, Deputy Minister of Commerce, addressed the continuation of trade and tariff negotiations with the United States following the political transition. He stated that technical negotiations with the United States can continue. The Department of International Trade Negotiations is hosting the negotiations with various agencies that can proceed, but he is awaiting policy from the new Cabinet. He expects that technical negotiations will continue in the meantime.

According to Thai News Agency, when asked if the political situation would not affect the negotiations, Mr. Chantawit admitted that, yes, technical negotiations between Thai and US government agencies could proceed without interruption within one month.

Regarding whether there will be additional details and implications for negotiations if a new government emerges, the Deputy Minister of Commerce acknowledged that some policy decisions may need to be made, with the new Cabinet and Parliament having to consider them. However, he confirmed that technical negotiations between Thailand and the United States can proceed.

When asked whether the tariffs on over 10,000 US product categories would have to be exempted from the U.S. tariffs, the Deputy Minister of Commerce admitted that, while technical negotiations have already taken place, the next step is to go through the new or current Cabinet and then to Parliament for detailed consideration. He confirmed that there are currently no impacts on tariff rates.