Thailand’s Minister of Commerce recently disclosed that the economic ministers from the 10 ASEAN countries and Timor-Leste convened a meeting to discuss their strategic approach in dealing with new U.S. trade policies. The aim of this meeting is to mitigate potential impacts on trade and investment in the region.
During the meeting, ASEAN reached a resolution to express its stance as a “comprehensive strategic partner” to the U.S., proposing constructive negotiations to minimize trade conflicts and pursue balanced solutions. This initiative aims to maintain long-term economic, trade, and investment relationships, as well as supply chain security within the region.
ASEAN plans to advance cooperation with the U.S. in high-potential sectors such as digital, AI, food, renewable energy, advanced industries, electric vehicles, semiconductors, health, logistics, and agriculture.
This initiative is intended to create new opportunities for the region while reaffirming the importance of a multilateral trading system. The group reaffirmed that it does not intend to retaliate against the U.S. with countermeasures.
As for Thailand, the Minister of Commerce stated that the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has agreed to discuss further cooperation with Thailand, and both parties are in the process of scheduling a meeting to enhance collaboration.
As of now, the U.S. stands as ASEAN’s second-largest trade partner, following China. Meanwhile, the U.S. is ranked as Thailand’s top export market, with total trade between the two nations valued at $74.5 billion in 2024. From this amount, Thailand exported goods worth $55 billion to the U.S., which resulted in a trade surplus of $35.5 billion.
