Hanoi (NNT/VNA) - Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has convened a meeting with four key agencies to address growing concerns over “origin fraud,” the practice of falsely labeling goods as Thai to secure trade benefits.
Representatives from the Ministry of Commerce, the Customs Department, the Federation of Thai Industries, and the Thai Chamber of Commerce met recently to discuss stricter enforcement of rules governing Certificates of Origin, which are essential to maintaining the credibility of Thai exports.
The Department of Foreign Trade will lead short-term efforts, including consultations with US Customs and Border Protection, to establish new criteria for issuing origin certificates. Monitoring will also be expanded to 65 product categories across 224 tariff codes, with a focus on preventing non-compliant products from entering global markets under Thai branding.
Over the longer term, the Thai government plans to introduce legal reforms that will impose tougher penalties on companies found guilty of origin fraud. These changes aim to enhance enforcement mechanisms and restore confidence in the authenticity of Thai-made goods.
The PM expressed confidence that tighter verification and oversight would reduce fraudulent claims within 90 days. Progress in this area is expected to create greater opportunity for legitimate Thai exporters, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, to compete internationally on fair terms.
The government is now working to increase the presence of genuine Thai products and materials in foreign markets, supporting both trade growth and Thailand’s global standing./.
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This comes after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) revised Thailand’s 2025 GDP growth forecast downward from 2.9% to 1.8%, citing the impact of US reciprocal tariffs. Thailand remains the only ASEAN country whose GDP projection has been cut to below 2%. For 2026, the IMF anticipates a further decline to 1.6%.
