Move Forward wants to revive trade rep office to boost trade, investment

This would mean reviving the Thai Trade Representative Office (TTRO) and incorporate related agencies under the Office of the Prime Minister to drive these policies forward, the party said.

As part of its investment promotion policies, Move Forward wants to reduce tax privileges under Board of Investment (BOI ) projects by 10%, while offering investment incentives to draw major electric vehicles companies and related firms, integrated microchips, and advanced semiconductor manufacturers, the party said.

Thailand is currently negotiating five free trade agreements to explore more new markets. Move Forward has suggested that the Thai trade representatives abroad play a key role in facilitating these negotiations. In recent negotiations, there has been limited progress, and some agreements have not been concluded satisfactorily, such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which has resulted in reduced trade and investment opportunities for Thailand.

Move Forward and its eight coalition partners are working to form the next government. They have held discussions on foreign policies and expanding Thailand's role in international affairs.

Move Forward has proposed the establishment of the TTRO, a government agency equivalent to a department directly reporting to the prime minister. Its responsibilities would include conducting trade negotiations with countries that are not traditional trading partners, including both non-state actors and special status partners. This is aimed at preventing any official government relationships from being negatively affected.

The establishment of the TTRO would involve the transfer of powers, responsibilities, budget, personnel, and resources from various government agencies to the office. Previously, there was a TTRO during the government of Thaksin Shinawatra, but it was dissolved in 2007 by the Surayud Chulanont government, claiming its role overlapped that of the Ministry of Commerce.

According to Sirikanya Tansakul, Move Forward deputy leader and head of the party's economic team, current trade negotiations must go hand in hand with investment negotiations, for example, free trade agreements and investments in special economic zones. Therefore, the progressive government has a policy to revive the TTRO to fulfil this role, she said.

The proposed approach involves integrating agencies involved in trade negotiations and international economics into the work of the TTRO. This integration aims to create a collaborative working strategy for international negotiations, attracting investment, and export promotion, Sirikanya said.

The idea is to consolidate related agencies such as the Department of International Trade Promotion, the Department of Trade Negotiations, the Department of Foreign Trade Promotion, the Thai Permanent Mission to the World Trade Organisation, and the National Economic Policy Committee into a single agency under the Prime Minister's Office, Sirikanya added.