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PRESS/TPRB/223
14 November 2003
(03-5985)
TRADE POLICY REVIEW: THAILAND
Further opening of the econom y would support robust growth
Thailand’s steady progress towards trade liberalization as well as macro-economic stabilization and
key structural reforms, including financial sector rehabilitation, have promoted growth in the face
of unfavourable global factors, according to a report on the trade policies and practices of Thailandreleased 14 November by the WTO Secretariat.
Further improvement in Thailand’s market access as well as progress in privatization and
regulatory reforms, to make domestic markets more competitive, would raise productivity an
attract much needed foreign direct investment and also assist a sustained recovery, says the
report.
The report adds that Thailand’s economic prospects appear to be favourable but robust growth will
depend upon continued structural reforms an macroeconomic stabilization especially fiscalconsolidation and sound public debt management which will help restore the still fragile corporate
and financial sectors burdened by debt an d non-performing loans, says the report.
The WTO report, along with a policy statement by the Government of Thailand, will be the basis
for the fourth Trade Policy Review (TPR) of Thailand by the Trade Policy Review Body of the WTO
on 12 and 14 November 2003.
The following documents are available in MS Word format on the WTO web-site. They can be
downloaded at http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tpr_e/tp223e.htm
• Secretariat report
> Contents and summary observations> Economic environment
> Trade policy regime: framework and objectives
> Trade policies and practices by measure> Trade policies by sector
> Appendix tables
• Government report
• Chairperson’s concluding remarks
• Minutes of the meeting (available approximately six weeks after the meeting).PRESS/TPRB/223
Page 2 of 2
Note
Trade Policy Reviews are an exercise, mandated in the WTO agreements, in which member
countries’ trade and related policies are examined and evaluated at regular intervals. Significant
developments that may have an impact on the gl obal trading system are also monitored. For each
review, two documents are prepared: a policy statement by the government of the member under
review, and a detailed report written independently by the WTO Secretariat. These two documents
are then discussed by the WTO’s full membership in the Trade Policy Review Body (TPRB). Thesedocuments and the proceedings of the TPRB’s meetings are publishe d shortly afterwards.
Print copies of the TPR publications are available for sale from the WTO Secretariat, Centre William
Rappard, 154 rue de Lausanne, 1211 Genève 21 and through the on-line bookshop at
https://secure.vtx.ch/shop/boutiques/wto_index_boutique.html  or follow this path :
www.wto.org >resources > publications > trade policy reviews
The TPR publications are also available from our co-publisher Bernan Press , 4611-F Assembly
Drive, Lanham, MD 20706-4391, United States
Next reviews:
Chile : 2, 4 December 2003
Turkey : 17, 19 December 2003
For a full list of previous trade policy reviews and the full programme of future reviews go to
http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tpr_e/tpr_e.htm#reviewsor follow this path : www.wto.org > trade topics > trade policy reviews
END