Thaïlande

The politicization of trade policy-making in Thailand is arguably more pronounced than elsewhere in the world including at the global level where multilateral trade negotiations (MTNs) under the World Trade Organization (WTO) are currently stalled. Indeed the Thai case of trade policy quagmire is quite dramatic for having adversely impinged on the country’s body politic to the extent that a popularly elected government was ousted in a military coup and an anti-free trade agreement (FTA) bias worked its way into a new military-organized constitution contributing to a prolonged and protracted political crisis. That Thai trade policy has become increasingly politicized over the first decade of the twenty-first century is attributable to a number of dynamics some in parallel to trade policy experiences in the rest of the world others more specific to domestic circumstances.

For over 30 years Thailand has pursued a policy of export-led development that has successfully turned the county into a major exporter of industrial goods and led to rapid economic growth particularly in the 1990s. Growth slowed in the 2000s - due partly to lower investment growth and infrastructure bottlenecks - but still remained strong at an average of 5.7% between 2003 and 2006. Although the 2008 global financial crises led to a fall in GDP in 2009 growth picked up again in 2010 when it reached 7.8%. Between 2007 and 2010 GDP per capita rose from US$3740 to US$4737 and Thailand has been able to reduce poverty and meet its Millennium Development Goals although significant income and regional disparities remain.