Supachee Confident Thailand Will Address All Issues in US Section 301 Investigation

Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Supachee Panitchpakdi expressed confidence that Thailand can fully address all points raised by the US Trade Representative's office regarding the Section 301 investigation. Speaking after visiting the World of Coffee Bangkok 2026 event at BITEC, Supachee noted that one of the Thai team's key missions during last week's trip to the United States was to discuss the Section 301 investigation with the US Trade Representative's office (USTR). Thailand provided additional clarifications on issues the US had raised, following its formal response submitted on April 15, which addressed two major concerns: excess production capacity and forced labor standards. "The Thai side is confident that we can comprehensively answer all of the US questions, and there should be no additional points for the US to contest, as we have data and evidence supporting every issue," Supachee said. She added that further technical-level discussions between the two teams will take place on May 13-14, led by Commerce Ministry Assistant Minister Kirida Phaovisit, along with the trade negotiation team, Thai trade representatives, and the Foreign Ministry. Thailand and the US also discussed their overall trade relationship, with several outstanding issues from previous negotiations still pending. Both sides aim to reach conclusions by June before the US considers measures under Section 301 and Section 122, with a deadline of July 24.