Supachai revealed that the Thailand team will meet with the USTR tonight to finalize tax details and then send them to Anutin for a call with Trump before the flight to close the deal.
On 15 September 2026, Supachai Sutthampan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce, disclosed progress in tax rate and trade negotiations with the United States, stating that tonight the Thailand team is scheduled to meet with the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to finalize the draft of the Thai–U.S. Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART). This is prior to Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul initiating a phone discussion with President Donald Trump on 17 or 18 September to set key content frameworks before the leaders meet officially at the United Nations (UN) next week.
The negotiations aim to align Thailand's tax rates with those of neighboring countries. Thailand has provided detailed evidence to address concerns about goods transshipment in three main industrial sectors, which have actual production capacities of 75–100%. This is alongside improvements to the Manufacturing Production Index (MPI) in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry to reflect the current economic structure. This represents a significant step in protecting and expanding Thailand's export value in the U.S. market.
Supachai also discussed the government's approach to balancing trade, stating that for countries where Thailand has a trade surplus, negotiations will focus on sincere cooperation for mutual benefit. For countries with which Thailand has a high trade deficit, such as China, the government has established three to four concrete measures to gradually reduce the deficit.
Meanwhile, regarding the Thailand-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, the government aims to finalize the principal outcomes at the 10th round meeting scheduled for late September to early October in Phuket. On 18 September, the Prime Minister will chair a joint meeting with all relevant agencies to finalize policy frameworks, expedite the compensation fund for those affected by the FTA, and prepare the final steps before submitting the conclusions for public consultation and approval by the Cabinet and the House of Representatives, aiming to close the Thailand-EU FTA deal by 2026.