BANGKOK, Jan 29 — Thailand and Myanmar agree to boost border trade and double its value next year.
The agreement was reached when Myanmar Commerce Minister Win Myint visited Thai Commerce Minister Chatchai Sarikulya yesterday.
They agreed to double the value of Thai-Myanmar border trade from Bt60 billion to Bt120 billion within next year. The border trade accounts for 80 per cent of all Thai-Myanmar trade.
The ministers agreed to form a Thai-Myanmar border trade committee and a business council to promote border trade and support operators in developing facilities for wholesale and retail as well as health, tour and educational services in the connecting special economic zones of Mae Sot and Myawaddy.
Gen Chatchai said that both sides shared the idea that border trade was important to both countries. Today both ministers opened a trade fair in Mae Sot.
Thailand will propose a "Mae Sot-Myawaddy Model" strategy to Myanmar to boost border trade and expects concrete progress for the proposal at the Joint Trade Commission meeting in August. (MCOT online news)
