Commerce permanent secretary Wiboonlasana Ruamraksa on Thursday met Diane Farrell, the deputy assistant secretary for Asia at the US Commerce Department. Ms Farrell reaffirmed the importance of the Thai-US relationship and said the country remains committed to trade and investment with Thailand. Ms Wiboonlasana said she defended Thailand against US accusations of an unfair trade deficit. The report insists the trade deficit value is not substantial, making up only 1.5% of the US's total trade deficit. Thai products, including midstream products that add value to high-tech products in the US and agricultural raw materials imported by the US, also play a vital role in US economic development, it said.

Source: Bangkok Post May 18, 2017 23:15 UTC