In a press statement, Veerayooth Kanchoochat, the PP’s deputy leader and head of the party’s economic team, referred to the joint statement signed between Thailand and the US as comparable to those the US signed with Vietnam and Malaysia.
He raised some key points for the government and the “Team Thailand” negotiation group to consider, reports the Bangkok Post.
He said the US required all three countries to commit to purchasing American aircraft, but the numbers varied. Thailand proposed the highest purchase - 80 aircraft worth US$8.8 billion (approximately B600bn). Vietnam agreed to buy 50 aircraft valued at US$8bn, while Malaysia’s deal covered 30 aircraft, though its statement included a clause allowing the number to potentially double in future.
However, when considering the overall value of proposed purchases from the US, Malaysia’s total commitment was the highest, as it also agreed to buy semiconductors, aerospace components and data centre equipment.
These combined commitments were valued at US$50bn, aligning with Malaysia’s “Silicon Valley of the East” strategy and focus on high-technology industries.
In Thailand’s case, aside from aircraft, the country also pledged to purchase energy worth US$5.4bn per year, and animal feed worth US$2.6bn per year.
Vietnam’s joint statement, by contrast, was the vaguest and least binding, mentioning only additional purchases of unspecified “agricultural products” worth US$2.9bn, with few details provided.
Another key difference lies in the tariff reduction commitments. Thailand’s joint statement explicitly states that the country will grant the United States 99% tariff exemptions across all product categories - both industrial and agricultural. By contrast, Vietnam and Malaysia merely noted that they would offer the US “preferential market access”, without specifying any numerical proportions.
Each country also faced different areas of focus from the US. Washington’s current strategy highlights rare earth minerals, so the Malaysia–US joint statement includes liberalisation of trade in rare earths for US firms.
Mr Veerayooth urged the Thai team to study the experiences of its neighbours ahead of the next stages of negotiation.