Thailand has agreed to eliminate trade barriers on US food, agricultural, medical, digital, and film products, and to make significant purchases of aircraft, energy, and farm goods with predetermined minimum values, according to the U.S. government.
The long-term commitments include the purchase of 80 US aircraft valued at $18.8 billion.
In a White House statement issued Sunday night, the US described the “Framework for an Agreement on Reciprocal Trade” as a deal that will grant both countries’ exporters unprecedented access to each other’s markets.
The US requires Thailand to remove tariffs on approximately 99% of goods, encompassing a broad range of US industrial, food, and agricultural products. The reciprocal tariffs will remain at 19%, as specified in Executive Order 14257 of April 2, 2025, with certain products identified in Annex III to Executive Order 14346 of September 5, 2025, possibly receiving zero percent tariffs.
The agreement’s key terms include ensuring Thailand accepts US-made vehicles compliant with US safety and emissions standards, and recognizes US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) certificates and approvals for medical devices and pharmaceuticals.
Thailand will also issue import permits for US ethanol fuel, amend customs laws to eliminate penalties related to customs breaches, and adopt good regulatory practices.
The US is also focused on removing market barriers for US food and agricultural exports, including ensuring faster access for FSIS-certified meat and poultry products. Additionally, Thailand commits to refraining from digital services taxes and measures that discriminate against US digital services and products.
Thailand will eliminate restrictions such as screen quotas for films, ease foreign ownership limits in telecommunications, and remove in-country processing requirements for domestic retail electronic payments using Thai-issued debit cards.
The trade framework highlights upcoming business deals in agriculture, energy, and aviation sectors. These include annual purchases valued at approximately $2.6 billion for products like feed corn, soybean meal, and dried distiller grains; around $5.4 billion for energy sources such as LNG, crude oil, and ethane; and the procurement of 80 US aircraft valued at $18.8 billion.
The White House stated that in the coming weeks, the US and Thailand will finalize negotiations, prepare the agreement for signing, and complete domestic procedures to implement the deal.