Thailand seeks to double trade with Maldives: Thai Minister of Commerce

Thailand’s Minister of Commerce Boonsong Teriyapirom has said that the country plans to double trade with Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

Thailand’s "The Nation" newpaper reports Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom to have said that Thailand would forge closer cooperation with Sri Lanka and the Maldives under the Thailand's strategy to penetrate new markets.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra will lead a team of representatives from the Thai government’s economic agencies and private enterprises to visit Sri Lanka and Maldives from tomorrow to Sunday, the newspaper reports.

It also states that Boonsong said he would sign an agreement on trade and economic cooperation with Maldives' Minister of Economic Development.

The cooperation will emphasize tourism, education, agriculture, fishery, food processing, development of small and medium-sized enterprises, infrastructure development, healthcare service, logistics, and construction, noted the Commerce Minister.

According to a report by Thailand’s Trade Negotiations Department, Sri Lanka is Thailand's fourth-largest trading partner in South Asia, after India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Maldives ranks as Thailand's 104th-largest trade partner.