TCCT, OECD and KPC host Workshop on Advocacy Strategies for Competition Authorities in Asia-Pacific

The event runs from October 25 to 27 at The Sukosol Hotel, Bangkok.

The meeting aims to provide a platform for the analysis and exchange of experiences in international trade competition promotion among agencies responsible for trade competition promotion in the Asia-Pacific region. It also aims to facilitate the adjustment of strategies in competition law enforcement to promote free trade in a fair and suitable manner for the post Covid-19 era.

The event kicked off with former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva giving a special keynote on the topic of “Making Competition Policy a Policy Mainstay”. He highlighted the importance of competition policy on Thailand’s economic system amid the changing situations in the Asia-Pacific region fueled by the Covid-19 pandemic and digital transformation. Then, Mr Ruben Maximiano, Senior Competition Expert, OECD, gave a speech on the topic of “The Importance of Competition Advocacy for Our Economies”.

The meeting was held in a hybrid form with participation from both onsite and online attendants. Sessions comprised lectures, case study discussions, and exchange of experiences among participants, who are mainly representatives from competition authorities in the Asia-Pacific region, trade competition committees, officials of the Trade Competition Commission of Thailand, and Thailand’s representatives from agencies responsible for trade competition monitoring.

The three-day event was honoured by experts from international trade competition authorities, who provided knowledge and exchanged experiences with Thai representatives and officials of the TCCT on the following topics:

•    Promotion and advocacy of trade competition for practical results
•    Building an efficient competition culture in Thailand’s context
•    Promotion and advocacy of equal trade competition 
•    Evaluation of competitive status in the market
•    Study of market structure in setting up trade competition promotion plans
•    Promotion and advocacy of trade competition during Covid-19 situation

During the event, attendants participated in workshop sessions that feature hypothetical exercises and case study analyses on unfair trade competition of products and services under different roles. Participants exercised their skills in detecting unfair trade practices in different hypothetical markets and together designed an advocacy programme to promote a fair trade competition culture, before presenting the strategic plan for the said programme to the meeting.

The TCCT hoped that this international meeting would help Thai authorities build a knowledge base in the promotion and advocacy of trade competition, as well as promote cooperation with international competition authorities who have strong experience in their respective field, which could help raise Thailand’s efficiency in trade competition promotion and law enforcement to an international standard.