BANGKOK – Border trade between Malaysia and Thailand in the first nine months of the year fell 17.23% to 175.10 billion baht (RM23.6 billion) due to Covid-19 border closures.
Foreign Trade Department director-general Keerati Rushchano, in a statement, said Thailand’s cross-border trade with neighbouring countries – Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia – in the period stood at 561.10 billion baht, dropping 10.03% year-on-year (y-o-y).
“Exports to Malaysia fell 11.5% y-o-y to 85.48 billion baht, while imports slipped 22.04% to 89.62 billion baht.
“This resulted in a 4.14 billion baht trade deficit.”
He said border trade with Laos fell 5.6% to 139.68 billion baht and Myanmar slid 12.83% to 127.01 billion baht, while trade with Cambodia rose 0.73% to 119.30 billion baht.
Malaysia is Thailand’s biggest border-trade partner.
Keerati added that Thailand’s transit trade with Singapore, Vietnam and southern China rose 3.25% to 407.77 billion baht from January to September. – Bernama, November 8, 2020
