Aranyaprathet in Sa Kaeo is a key border trade district between Thailand and Cambodia. (Photo: Bangkok Post) Hanoi (VNA) – Thailand's cross-border trade fell 8.5 percent year-on-year in January-July period, mostly due to the closure of border checkpoints amid COVID-19, according to the Thai Ministry of Commerce.
The Ministry’s Foreign Trade Department reported that overall cross-border trade, including transit trade, totalled 741 billion baht (23.68 billion USD) from January to July.
Thailand‘s border trade with four neighbouring countries — Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia — stood at 434 billion baht, a 12.8 percent decline year-on-year, the department said.
Malaysia is Thailand’s biggest border trade partner, with two-way trade reaching 131 billion baht in the period, down 23.6 percent.
The transit trade value with Vietnam and other countries reduced 21.8 percent and 15.8 percent to 34.9 billion baht and 91.7 billion baht respectively.
Thailand’s cross-border trade is likely to improve in the remaining months as countries reopen their border checkpoints, the Bangkok Post newspaper quoted Foreign Trade Department Director-General Keerati Rushchano as saying.
To date, the country has reopened 40 of its 97 border checkpoints for export and import as well as transportation of goods./.
VNA
