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PRESS RELEASE: PRESS/TPRB/223
14 November 2003

TRADE POLICY REVIEW: THAILAND

Further opening of the economy would support robust growth

The WTO report, along with a policy statement by the Government of Thailand, will be the basis for the fourth Trade Policy Review (TPR) of Thailand by the Trade Policy Review Body of the WTO on 12 and 14 November 2003.

Thailand’s steady progress towards trade liberalization as well as macro-economic stabilization and key structural reforms, including financial sector rehabilitation, have promoted growth in the face of unfavourable global factors, according to a report on the trade policies and practices of Thailand released 14 November by the WTO Secretariat.

Further improvement in Thailand’s market access as well as progress in privatization and regulatory reforms, to make domestic markets more competitive, would raise productivity an attract much needed foreign direct investment and also assist a sustained recovery, says the report.

The report adds that Thailand’s economic prospects appear to be favourable but robust growth will depend upon continued structural reforms an macroeconomic stabilization especially fiscal consolidation and sound public debt management which will help restore the still fragile corporate and financial sectors burdened by debt and non-performing loans, says the report.

The following documents are available in MS Word format.

• Secretariat report
  > Contents and summary observations (10 pages, 77KB)
  > Economic environment (13 pages, 365KB)
  > Trade policy regime: framework and objectives (18 pages, 432KB)
  > Trade policies and practices by measure (40 pages, 438KB)
  > Trade policies by sector (19 pages, 128
  > Appendix tables (8 pages, 119KB)
    
• Government report (24 pages, 182KB)
    
• Chairperson's concluding remarks
    
• Minutes of the meeting are available approximately 6 weeks after the meeting.  

Note  back to top

Trade Policy Reviews are an exercise, mandated in the WTO agreements, in which member countries’ trade and related policies are examined and evaluated at regular intervals. Significant developments that may have an impact on the global trading system are also monitored. For each review, two documents are prepared: a policy statement by the government of the member under review, and a detailed report written independently by the WTO Secretariat. These two documents are then discussed by the WTO’s full membership in the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB). These documents and the proceedings of the TPRB’s meetings are published shortly afterwards.

Print copies of previous TPR publications are available for sale from the WTO Secretariat, Centre William Rappard, 154 rue de Lausanne, 1211 Genève 21 and through the on-line bookshop.

The TPR publications are also available from our co-publisher Bernan Press, 4611-F Assembly Drive, Lanham, MD 20706-4391, United States.

Schedule of forthcoming reviews  back to top

Chile: 2, 4 December 2003
Turkey: 17, 19 December 2003