Thailand intends to join the revised 11-member Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement, a Japanese newspaper has reported.

The country is preparing to join the deal, which counts Japan and Australia among its members, after it takes effect, the Yomiuri Shimbun said it has learned. The current 11 member countries are seeking to have the deal take effect this year.

Thailand would be the first additional country to join the TPP — a move that could boost the deal’s prospects for further expansion. Thailand’s exports to the 11 countries stood at US$70.3 billion in 2017 — about 30 per cent of its total exports. – The Japan News

CAMBODIA HAILS US MOVE

Cambodia’s Ministry of Commerce said that US President Donald Trump has approved an extension to the generalised system of preferences (GSP) for Cambodia.

According to an announcement released by the Ministry of Commerce, Trump signed the document to extend the term of the GDP to the end of 2020.

The signing took place on March 23 and took effect on April 22, it added. Last year, Cambodian exports to the US topped US$3 billion, and the country took in it imports worth US$400 million. – Rasmei Kampuchea Daily