8 Apr 2005 International Economy Third Round of Thailand-US FTA Talks: Prudence Needed for National Interests คะแนนเฉลี่ย คะแนนเฉลี่ย 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star The third round of the Thailand-US Free Trade Area negotiations will take place on April 4-8, 2005, in Pattaya. This round of negotiations will focus mainly on exchange of ideas/information on various issues to establish a framework for further negotiations. Although negotiations for the opening of markets have yet to start at this stage, Thai negotiators will have to work hard and brace for possible pressure from the US, which has high negotiating leverage. Kasikorn Research Center (KRC) takes the view that issues which Thailand should take into special consideration during negotiations with the US include: Intellectual Property ? The US wants Thailand to extend protection on intellectual property beyond what was agreed under the TRIP Plus (Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) agreement of the World Trade Organization. The US demands that patent rights protection for medicinal products must be extended from 20 years under this agreement to 25 years. The fact that all kinds of medications are required to be patented will eventually lift the prices of medicines, thus causing difficulties for access to medicines. It is undeniable that this will have wide-ranging effects on the general public, while the Thai government will have to shoulder greater burdens caused by more expensive drug prices in allocating its universal health insurance budget (the 'Bt30 for all treatments' plan). Increasing workers' and environmental protection to US Standards ? which would increase Thai production costs and affect Thailand's competitiveness, eventually. The US is trying to pressure Thailand to cancel non-tariff barriers (NTBs) in order that it can enter more effectively enter the Thai market for goods and services. But, at the same time, the US also uses many forms of non-tariff barriers such as AD (Anti-Dumping) edicts, strict regulations on labeling, workers' and environmental standards, and giving domestic subsidies to its agricultural sector and on farm goods exports, making it harder for goods from other countries to compete there and causing slumping prices for agricultural goods in the world market. Therefore, in the FTA negotiations with the US, Thailand should negotiate on these non-tariff barriers in order for Thai goods to enter the US market more easily, such as setting up a mutual recognition arrangement (MRA) on food products, fruit and vegetables, etc. Moreover, negotiations with the US will need time to consider carefully, and should not be limited in timeframes. Also, FTA agreements bind both parties, who gain and lose, as well, so the public should have information on negotiations and be able to give suggestions for the maximum benefit and the least disadvantage. Annotation This research paper is published for general public. It is made up of various sources. Trustworthy, but the company can not authenticate. reliability The information may be changed at any time without prior notice. Data users need to be careful about the use of information. The Company will not be liable to any user or person for any damages arising from such use. The information in this report does not constitute an offer. Or advice on business decisions Anyhow. International Economy FTA Related Analysis View all 14 Mar 2018 International Economy Thailand must brace for trade disputes between the US, EU and China, etc. (Current Issue No. 2905) The US is pressing ahead with trade measures against trade partners globally. In addition to their new ‘safeguard tariffs’ on imported solar panels and large washing machines imposed early in 2018, and more recently on imported steel and aluminum, the US is now preparing to implement protectionist measures against Chinese products valued at around USD60 billion. This direction will likely add significant pressure to global trade, thus, KResearch views that all eyes should be closely kept on negotiations between the US and EU, both being among the largest economies in the world. Details on those negotiations are expected to be released before the relevant ‘safeguard tariffs’ on steel and aluminum become effective at the end of next week. If the EU and China are exempted from these new tariffs, prevailing anxiety will ease. But to the contrary, without such exemptions, China and the EU may opt to implement their own trade protectionist measures against the US, as well. 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Read more 373.51 KB 373.51 KB 19 Dec 2017 International Economy Chinese Economy Continues Momentum to Yearend Growth next year inches toward balance, Focus on Reforms (Business Brief No.3719) China's latest economic indicators show that the Chinese economy has maintained momentum. Although China’s domestic eco... Read more 0 KB 0 KB View all