Thailand's export growth in 2018 maintained at least 8%

BANGKOK, September 21 (TNA) - The Ministry of Commerce has maintained its projection of Thailand's export growth this year at 8-9 per cent year-on-year on average, propelled by the expanding world economy and a clear schedule of the country's new general election next year. Pimchanok Vonkorpon, Director-General of the ministry's Trade Policy and Strategy Office (TPSO), told journalists of the updated forecast on Friday, saying that Thailand's export growth in 2018 could grow by 9 per cent year-on-year, worth about 257.93 billion US dollars, if the country's exports would reach at least about 22.23 billion US dollars during the rest of the year. Pimchanok also reported that Thailand gained a trade surplus of about 2.35 billion US dollars during the first eight months of this year. Pimchanok acknowledged that Thailand's export growth last month alone stood at 6.7 per cent year-on-year, worth about 22.79 billion US dollars, the 18th consecutive monthly growth and a highest expansion, as Thai exporters had well adjusted their strategies by shipping their products to both major and new overseas markets. The TPSO chief revealed that Thai exports to Japan and the European Union (EU) grew by about 3.2 per cent year-on-year last month, while the country's exports to the United States grew by 0.6 per cent year-on-year, mostly were gems and jewelry, rubber products and machineries, as well as steel and aluminum, electrical appliances and solar cells. According to the TPSO chief, she will ask Thai commercial envoys stationed in foreign countries at next month's meeting in Bangkok to help explore new markets to ease possible negative impacts from the ongoing trade war between the United States and China on Thai exporters. (TNA)