DPA
Bangkok - Thailand's manufacturers of air conditioner units have expressed concerns about tough competition from Chinese imports when the China-ASEAN free trade agreement (FTA) cuts tariffs on the item in January, media reports said Saturday.
'This FTA will cause difficulties for domestic sales and exports to neighbouring countries,' Phairat Uechooyos, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries' Air-Conditioning Club told The Nation newspaper.
Phairat said that Chinese-made air conditioners in some categories sell for about one-third the price of Thai-made units.
China produced about 34 million air conditioners last year compared to 17 million units manufactured in Thailand. Thai A/C exports earned the country 300 billion baht (8.8 billion dollars) in 2008.
The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) signed a FTA with China in 2006, immediately removing tariffs on 3,906 items. Another 2,660 items, including air conditioners, will become tariff free in January 2009.
ASEAN includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, a combined market of about 600 million people.
'This FTA will cause difficulties for domestic sales and exports to neighbouring countries,' Phairat Uechooyos, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries' Air-Conditioning Club told The Nation newspaper.
Phairat said that Chinese-made air conditioners in some categories sell for about one-third the price of Thai-made units.
China produced about 34 million air conditioners last year compared to 17 million units manufactured in Thailand. Thai A/C exports earned the country 300 billion baht (8.8 billion dollars) in 2008.
The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) signed a FTA with China in 2006, immediately removing tariffs on 3,906 items. Another 2,660 items, including air conditioners, will become tariff free in January 2009.
ASEAN includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, a combined market of about 600 million people.
4 comments:
Surprise!!! 1.3 billion Chinese of course their products are less expensive.
So what are those powerful elite Sino-Thais doing in Thailand? They rule Thailand with Bhumibol family and do they care about those million poor people?
Million more transvestites are lining up for tourists even just a penny for each blow job.
To all Red Shirt people throughout thailand, please keep up your fight until our people free from Chakri family abusive, the current thai gov't treated our people like slave!! we must continue to fight against Chakri dynasty and the current gov't for unfairly treated our people "THE RED SHIRT" our people work hard like slave just to served Chakri dynasty family....
Our people must treated fairly!
"Red Shirt"
keep up the good work, china!
I hope the AC blows up in stupid thai peoples face
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