Thai authorities will step up a crackdown on the practice of foreign companies circumventing high US tariffs by claiming false certificates of origin as it prepares for negotiations with the Trump administration to secure relief from a 36% tariff hit.
The Southeast Asian nation, which had an almost US$46 billion trade surplus with the United States, plans to add more products to a watchlist of 49 goods as false claims of origin are among the key concerns of US authorities, the Commerce Ministry said in a statement Friday.
The government has identified about nine more groups of products deemed at high risk of circumventing the rule of origin by companies using Thailand as a base for re-exports to the US, Department of Foreign Trade director-general Arada Fuangtong said in the statement. The products include steel, copper wire and aluminium among others, she said.
The clamp down will address a key concern of US Customs and help improve buyers’ confidence, Arada said, adding that heightened surveillance will also help minimise the hit to local manufacturers.
China has emerged as Thailand's largest trading partner in recent years, with the trade deficit with Beijing ballooning to $45 billion in 2024 from about $19.6 billion in 2018, according to official data. In contrast, Thailand’s trade surplus with the US swelled to $46 billion last year from about $17 billion in 2018.
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