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Does US really care about Thai workers … or is it America First?
- Washington says it will impose taxes on Thai imports – supposedly in a stand on workers’ rights
- Critics say the move is just another ploy from Donald Trump’s playbook
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US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross on Monday wrapped up his two-day visit to Bangkok by assuring his hosts that Washington was open to negotiations over its decision to suspend the duty-free status of Thai imports.
After a meeting with Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, Ross told a business forum on the sidelines of a summit for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean): “There’s still time to renegotiate the underlying issue of workers’ rights.”
He was referring to US accusations that Thailand does not afford its workforce “internationally recognised rights” – a claim that Washington cited as justification for its tariff move, which it announced last month.
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The decision affects US$1.3 billion worth of Thai goods, but Ross tried to impress on his audience that the changes to the US Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) would be “no big deal” for Bangkok.
“In numerical terms what we’re talking about is a tiny fraction of 1 per cent of Thailand’s GDP – under three-tenths of a per cent is all that can be affected,” Ross said.
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“It’s highly unlikely you’ll notice any noticeable impact from GSP removal on Thailand’s overall economic picture.”
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