Thailand Calls for ASEAN Unity in Face of Looming US Tariffs

Thailand’s former finance minister Korn Chatikavanij has urged the government to form a unified ASEAN negotiation team to challenge the United States over planned tariffs. A 36% duty on Thai goods is scheduled to take effect on 1 August.

Korn warned that the tariffs, initially proposed by former US President Donald Trump, could severely damage Thailand’s economic competitiveness. He called for revisions to the 2026 national budget to support affected sectors and demanded transparency in negotiations.

He also recommended multilateral talks via the World Trade Organization (WTO) to strengthen the region’s bargaining power, stressing that reciprocal concessions from the US are not guaranteed.