The Minister of Commerce is pushing for Malaysia to facilitate and open the market for importing agricultural products from Thailand, as well as to enhance the connectivity of the southern border economy to be tangible, supporting the expansion of trade between the two sides, and expanding Halal cooperation, pushing more Thai franchises to Malaysia, aiming to increase trade to 1 trillion baht in 2027. Mr. Phumtham Vejjayachai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce, revealed after the 3rd Thailand-Malaysia Joint Trade Committee (JTC) meeting on July 4, 2024 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia that both sides have good relations at all levels, especially the leaders of the countries, with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Thai Prime Minister Settha Thavisin having met and discussed economic matters frequently, with regular consultations on economic and trade matters. In my visit to Malaysia this time, I have come to continue the work of the leaders of both countries, which will have results that can be used to determine concrete directions. 'This is my first visit since taking up the position of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce, which I am very pleased about because Malaysia is a close neighbor and Thailand's number 1 trading partner in ASEAN. In this meeting, both countries will move forward economically to promote trade to reach the target of 30 billion US dollars or 1 trillion baht by 2027, as set by the two prime ministers. We will facilitate the opening of agricultural markets for both sides more quickly. Thailand has asked Malaysia to expedite the permission to import beef, pork, and Java sparrows, as well as certify producers of Thai fresh and frozen chicken products for export to Malaysia.' However, both sides will move forward to link border economies and increase border trade figures by urging the working groups on border trade and trade and investment established by the two prime ministers to work closely together. Malaysia will host the first meeting of the working groups at the end of July to serve as a mechanism to promote and solve border trade and investment problems. Thailand has proposed linking local economies between the five southern border provinces of Thailand and the five northern states of Malaysia in the form of trade twin cities between Narathiwat and Kelantan, Songkhla and Kedah, Satun and Perlis, Yala and Perak, and Pattani and Terengganu. They have also pushed for an acceleration of the conclusion of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Cross-Border Transport of Goods and Passengers between Thailand and Malaysia so that it can be signed within this year. In addition, both sides welcomed the progress of the construction of the new Sadao Checkpoint and Bukit Kayu Hitam Checkpoint on the Malaysian side, which is scheduled to be completed in 2025, which will make the transport of goods and travel of tourists across the border more convenient. In addition, both sides agreed to promote new cooperation, especially in promoting Halal entrepreneurs and franchise businesse s that Thailand has potential to Malaysia, including cooperation in digital and data centers that both governments prioritize, which will help support the creation of an environment conducive to trade, attract investment and transform into a digital economy. They also publicized and invited the Malaysian side to participate in the border trade fair in Songkhla Province, including activities to promote Thai trade in 2024 to be held in Malaysia, such as Thailand Week 2024 and international trade fairs in Thailand. However, on behalf of the Thai government, I would like to thank you again for working together to push today's meeting to be a success. On the Thai side, I will present the results of this meeting to the Prime Minister to inform him about the joint economic promotion of both countries this time. I look forward to welcoming the Malaysian delegation and executives to the 4th JTC meeting in Thailand. Malaysia is Thailand's number 1 trading partner in ASEAN and number 4 in the world, and is Thailand's n umber 1 border trading partner. In 2023, Thailand-Malaysia's total trade was worth 25,118.03 million US dollars (-7.14%). For the first 5 months of 2024 (January-May), bilateral trade was worth 10,787.02 million US dollars (-0.54%), with exports of 5,046.26 million US dollars and imports of 5,740.76 million US dollars. Source: Thai News Agency