It is unlikely that Thailand will offer reciprocal visa-free treatment to Taiwanese, but the Thailand Trade and Economic Office will provide a more convenient, outsourced visa application service starting in September, office Executive Director Thongchai Chasawath said in an interview with ‘Taipei Times’ reporter
Taipei Times
Date: Jul 23, 2018
By: Stacy Hsu and ‘Liberty Times’ reporter Lu Yi-hsuan
Taiwan’s lack of free-trade agreements (FTA) with several Southeast Asian
Thailand Trade and Economic Office Executive Director Thongchai Chasawath gestures during an interview on Wednesday. Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
countries, including Thailand, has been seen as a challenge for President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) New Southbound Policy. What do you think could be done to facilitate the signing of an FTA between Taiwan and Thailand?
Thongchai Chasawath: This matter concerns many political factors, so it is a bit tricky for us to sign an FTA with Taiwan. That does not only go for Thailand; you also face a similar problem with many other countries.
So what should we do? There are actually many other things that we can do. We should not limit our ideas to a fixed framework or box. [FULL STORY]