Thailand, US writing ‘final paragraph’ of trade deal, says PM Anutin
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul received a letter from US President Donald Trump last week confirming both countries were “at the final stage” on the agreement, he said at a forum in Singapore on Wednesday (Oct 7).
Thailand Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced at a Singapore forum on October 7 that Thailand and the United States are in the final stages of negotiating a reciprocal trade agreement. The Prime Minister received a letter from President Donald Trump last week that confirmed the two countries were "at the final stage" on the agreement.
Anutin informed attendees of the Forbes Global CEO Conference that he was tasked with ensuring the final clause was written up by Thai officials and the US Trade Representative, with the expectation that the deal would be signed during Trump's next visit to Asia. Trump is scheduled to visit Asia in November for the ASEAN Summit in the Philippines and the APEC summit in Shenzhen.
The US is Thailand's largest export market, and Thai exports to the US face a 12.5% tariff due to forced-labour measures. Thailand has a significant goods trade surplus with the US, reaching $71.7 billion in 2025, up 59.1% from 2024. However, Thailand has a substantial trade deficit with China, which widened by 59.3% in the first seven months of 2025 to $55.13 billion.
Despite this, Anutin expressed confidence that the deficit with China would decrease over time due to Chinese investments in Thailand.
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