Thai Airways International could exercise an existing option to buy more planes from U.S. planemaker Boeing as part of Thailand's tariff negotiations with the United States, CEO Chai Eamsiri told a Reuters NEXT Asia summit on Wednesday, Reuters reported. The flag carrier in February last year said it had ordered 45 Boeing 787-9 wide-body jets with options for a further 35. Thailand has submitted a new trade proposal to the U.S. in a bid to avoid steep tariff hikes on its own products.
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Thailand’s central bank held interest rates steady amid renewed political tensions at home and growing uncertainty abroad, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Bank of Thailand’s monetary policy committee voted six to one to maintain its policy rate at 1.75%, following two consecutive cuts. One member voted in favor of easing. Noting that its previous cuts have “already provided some cushion against the prevailing risks,” the central bank highlighted risks related to U.S.
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Thailand’s central bank makes its rate decision on Wednesday against a tense backdrop marked by political tension at home and uncertainty abroad, the Wall Street Journal reported. The exit of the second-largest party in Thailand’s ruling coalition has left Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s Pheu Thai Party hanging by a thread, amid calls for her resignation, analysts say. “Political uncertainty now casts a pall on an already weak economy,” Vishnu Varathan of Mizuho Securities said in a note, adding that it exacerbates the threat posed by ongoing tariff-related tensions.
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Thailand has reached a major aviation milestone as Thai Airways International triumphantly exits its court-supervised debt restructuring program after four challenging years, following official approval from the Central Bankruptcy Court in Bangkok, Travel and Tour News reported. This crucial court decision not only restores the national carrier’s financial stability but also paves the way for the resumption of trading on the stock market, renewed investor confidence, and Thailand’s strengthened position in the global aviation industry.
Thailand's economy is expected to encounter temporary "air pockets" due to the impact of tariffs, the finance minister said on Thursday, and the country plans to negotiate to align its tariffs more closely with those of its trade competitors, Reuters reported. "No matter how much the tariff will end up, if it is at an equal level and equal to our competitors, it will not affect us," Pichai Chunhavajira said at a ministry event. "With our proposal, we should be at a point where we would get what we want," he added.
Thailand is among Southeast Asian nations hardest hit by U.S.
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The Thai central bank cut its benchmark rate and flagged the possibility of slower economic growth, as ongoing global uncertainties cloud the Southeast Asian nation’s outlook, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Bank of Thailand’s monetary policy committee voted 5-2 on Wednesday to lower the policy rate to 1.75% from 2.00%, with two members voting to hold rates steady.
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Thailand will increase U.S. imports, lower some of the higher taxes on American goods and address non-tariff barriers, the finance minister said on Tuesday, as the government seeks to negotiate a better deal on new U.S. tariffs, Reuters reported. The tariff of 36% imposed on Southeast Asia's second-largest economy is among the higher rates imposed by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, greater than officials had anticipated.
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A Thai business group on Thursday urged Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to negotiate with the United States and consider lowering import taxes on U.S. goods, as the government met with the private sector to discuss U.S. trade policy, Reuters reported. The meeting comes ahead of a deadline U.S. President Donald Trump has set next month for federal agencies to complete comprehensive reviews of a range of trade issues, including analyses of persistent U.S. trade deficits.
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Thailand is in early discussions with carmakers to introduce a car trade-in and scrapping scheme in a bid to revive an industry hit by its biggest crisis in decades, three industry officials and two sources said, Reuters reported. Output in the Southeast Asian automobile hub, besieged by a flood of new EVs, has plummeted for more than a year, following a slowdown in exports and weak domestic sales, while tighter credit at a time of soaring household debt hit vehicle buying.
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Thailand’s central bank lowered its benchmark interest rate amid global uncertainties and concerns about their potential impact on the Southeast Asian economy, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Bank of Thailand’s monetary policy committee announced Wednesday that it voted six to one to cut the policy rate to 2.00% from 2.25%.
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