Thailand’s border and transit trade was valued at 145 billion Baht in January, up 2.7 per cent from a year earlier, Deputy Government Spokesperson Sasikan Watthanachan said on Sunday. (100 Baht = RM13.05).
Exports rose 3.8 per cent to 78.037 billion Baht, while imports increased 1.5 per cent to 67.102 billion Baht, resulting in a trade surplus of 10.935 billion Baht, she said.
“The breakdown of border trade with neighbouring countries – Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Cambodia – showed a total trade value of 83.797 billion Baht, a 1.7 per cent increase.
“This comprised exports worth 50.528 billion Baht (up 0.7 per cent) and imports worth 33.269 billion Baht (up 3.3 per cent), with Thailand achieving a trade surplus of 17.26 billion Baht,” she said in a statement.
She added that Laos accounted for the highest trade value at 25.228 billion Baht, followed by Malaysia (24.256 billion Baht), Myanmar (18.821 billion Baht), and Cambodia (15.492 billion Baht).
She said key export products included diesel (4.209 billion Baht), refined petroleum products (1.622 billion Baht), and other agricultural-industrial products (1.323 billion Baht).
Sasikan highlighted that the strong start to border and transit trade in early 2025 continued the growth momentum from 2024, particularly with exports to China, which surged by 18.0 per cent.
“The government extends its gratitude to Thai entrepreneurs for their vital role in driving continuous growth in border and transit trade.
"The government remains committed to fostering and enhancing trade cooperation with neighbouring countries and international partners to create economic opportunities for Thai businesses. Furthermore, we support measures to improve logistics and border trade efficiency,” said Sasikan.
She cautioned, however, that Thai-Myanmar border trade could face disruptions in February due to crackdowns on call centre operations along the border, which might affect exports of diesel and refined petroleum.