Photo Credit: Government house
Thailand announced it will continue negotiations with the United States despite a U.S. trade court blocking President Donald Trump’s broad import tariffs. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra stated that the court’s decision is an internal U.S. matter, and it remains uncertain how Trump will proceed.
She emphasized that Thailand must move forward and cannot afford to pause its efforts. During the recent ASEAN Summit in Malaysia, regional leaders discussed the tariffs, and all ASEAN countries, including Thailand, are in the same position—having submitted proposals and awaiting a U.S. response to set a negotiation date.
Paetongtarn clarified these discussions predated the court ruling and reaffirmed Thailand’s commitment to the 90-day timeframe for formal negotiations, with ongoing informal communication between the two countries. She described this dialogue as constructive and maintained that it’s a positive sign of continued engagement.
Foreign Affairs Vice Minister Russ Jalichandra also commented on the ruling, noting that negotiations between Thailand and the U.S. will proceed as planned and are actively ongoing. He expressed optimism about early progress.
He added that Thailand’s current trade surplus with the U.S. doesn’t position it as a rival like South Korea, Japan, China, or India. He emphasized the U.S. remains a strategic partner, viewing this as an opportunity to reevaluate and strengthen bilateral economic ties for mutual benefit.
The U.S. federal court in Manhattan blocked most of Trump’s sweeping tariffs, ruling they exceeded presidential authority. This setback challenged Trump’s effort to reshape global trade relations by using tariffs as leverage for negotiations.
Trump argued that the tariffs, aimed at addressing trade deficits and national security concerns like drug inflows, were justified by a national emergency. However, the court’s decision effectively halted most of his trade measures since taking office in January.
The White House criticized the ruling and quickly filed an appeal, continuing the ongoing legal battle over the tariffs.
