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  1. Negotiations

US-Thailand


The US and Thailand started negotiations on a comprehensive bilateral free trade agreement in June 2004.

Like other recent bilateral free trade agreements with the US, the US-Thailand FTA will cover investment, services, government procurement, intellectual property, as well as agriculture. Many expect it to be modeled on the US-Singapore FTA.

The negotiations have attracted strong opposition and concern among many Thai social movements, farmers to people with HIV/AIDS. A broad civil society coalition, FTA Watch, was formed at the outset to closely monitor the process from a public interest perspective. (Likewise, business interests set up their own US-Thai FTA Coalition.) Under the banner of "sovereignty not for sale!", key issues of popular concern include access to medicine, GMOs in agriculture and patents on life.

The last round of talks took place in Chiang Mai in January 2006 with 10,000 people protesting in the streets and disrupting the meeting. Negotiations have not resumed since.

last update: May 2012

Benefits of US, Thai free trade agreement examined
18-Jul-2005     CalTrade Report
The US is currently the top supplier to Thailand of agricultural products and the US-Thai FTA is expected "to further open and diversify sales for these and other products, such as beef and pork, to this major market for US farmers and ranchers," a US Department of Commerce statement said.
Pros, cons of free trade with Thailand heard
16-Jul-2005    
Questions regarding opening up the market for sugar imports was a feature of Monday's teleconference involving Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and members of the Thailand delegation.
Thai, US negotiators wrap up first round of talks
16-Jul-2005    
Negotiators and staff members working on a free trade agreement for Thailand and the United States spent the week dining on Montana beef, eating Montana grain products and enjoying Great Falls' hospitality.
Legal implications of Thailand-US FTA
12-Jul-2005     Bangkok Post
Even though potential commercial gains are expected from this FTA agreement, domestic industries and US companies are equally sceptical of the legislative changes in Thailand.
US-Thai FTA: Final trade deal not expected in Montana round
11-Jul-2005     Bangkok Post
The fourth round of trade negotiations between Thailand and its single largest trading partner, the United States, is not expected to yield any significant outcome, although both parties hope the talks starting today will help the two better understand each other and bring them closer to solving respective concerns.
US-Thai FTA: Framework needed before discussions on finance sector
9-Jul-2005     Bangkok Post
Financial sector liberalisation is a sensitive subject for the talks. US authorities have insisted that no FTA agreement can be negotiated without it. Thai authorities have been reluctant to make any commitments on opening up the banking, insurance, asset management or securities sectors.
Thailand-US: AIDS drugs take centre-stage at trade talks
30-Jun-2005     IPS
After tiptoeing around the issue for months, Thailand's trade negotiators will have to finally reveal where they stand on the life-or-death question of producing cheap, generic anti-AIDS drugs.
Thailand firm on positive list
21-Jun-2005    
Thailand insists that it will negotiate a bilateral free-trade area agreement with the United States only through a ``positive list'' approach.
Health sets out options for FTA talks
21-Jun-2005    
After letting health advocates air their opposition to the Thai-US free trade agreement (FTA) for more than a year, the Public Health Ministry yesterday unveiled its position on how Thailand should deal with drug patents.
Doctors told to be wary of big drug firms
17-Jun-2005    
Doctors have been warned not to fall into the fierce marketing trap of multinational drug companies which have a ''hidden agenda'' to sell expensive products.