Thailand recently chaired the 4th Joint Trade Committee (JTC) meeting in Phuket province, as it aims to tighten its relationship with Bhutan and enhance bilateral trade and investment.
Thai Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit and his Bhutanese counterpart, Lyonpo Loknath Sharma, discussed trade and investment opportunities.
The Thai side underlined e-commerce development, the national single window system and geographical indication (GI) products in order to enhance bilateral cooperation in agriculture, handicrafts and tourism.
The meeting was held in Phuket to show participants the uniqueness of Thai goods, particularly Phuket’s GI goods, and to demonstrate the recovery of Thailand’s tourism industry.
Minister Jurin said Bhutan had agreed to sign the Thai-Bhutanese Preferential Trade Agreement, which will facilitate trade and eliminate tariffs on goods.
Bhutan and Thailand currently enjoy 2.1 billion baht in two-way trade. Prominent export products include fruit jelly, spice and small bronze statues. Both countries agreed to achieve 3.6 billion baht in trade by 2025.
