Bangkok: Thailand exports increased for a ninth consecutive month in March and more than expected, reaching the highest level in three years, although stiff American rates remain a concern, said the Ministry of Commerce said on Thursday, April 24.
Exports, a key engine of the second economy in Southeast Asia, climbed 17.8% in March compared to the previous year, above a planned increase of 13.5% in a reuters survey and beating an increase of 14.0% of February.
During the January-March period, exports increased by 15.2% in annual shift. The Ministry of Commerce has planned that exports will increase by 2% to 3% this year, after an increase of 5.4% to a record of $ 301 billion in 2024.
In March, exports to the United States, the largest Thailand market, increased by 34.3% compared to the previous year, while shipments to China increased by 22.4%.
Imports increased by 10.2% in March compared to the previous year, against a planned increase of 6.1%.
The country recorded a trade surplus of US $ 0.97 billion last month against a planned surplus of US $ 1.1 billion.
The United States was the largest export market in Thailand last year, representing 18.3% of the total expeditions, or 54.96 billion US dollars. Washington has put its deficit with Thailand at 45.6 billion US dollars. Thailand is one of the southeast Asian nations the hardest affected by the measures of the American president Donald Trump, confronted at a rate of 36% if a reduction cannot be negotiated before the expiration of a global moratorium in July.
“Thai exports in 2025 are faced with a challenge to American prices and reprisals from other countries, creating a concern for the global economy,” the ministry said in a statement.
