OPINION

Thailand's export-led model needs rejig

Oped, Pavida Pananond, Published on 03/07/2025

» Time is running out for Thailand, and the stakes have never been higher. As Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira arrived in Washington this week for critical trade talks with the US negotiation team, Thailand confronts not just a tariff negotiation but an existential challenge to its export-dependent economic model. With US President Donald Trump's 90-day grace period expiring on July 8, Thailand must secure a deal or face a punishing 36% tariff that threatens to unravel decades of export-led development strategy.