Thailand Preps Businesses for Kazakhstan Market Entry

Thailand's Commerce Ministry, through the Department of International Trade Negotiations, is preparing a practical workshop seminar ahead of the first Thailand-Kazakhstan Joint Trade Committee (JTC) meeting under the theme "Driving Aggressive Trade Strategy: Connecting Thailand to the Eurasian Center (EAEU)." The event will take place on Monday, September 14, 2026, at Grand Centre Point Terminal 21 in Bangkok to prepare Thai businesses and establish Thailand's approach to entering this high-potential Central Asian market.

According to Chotima Iamsawatdikul, Director of the Department of International Trade Negotiations, the ministry is pursuing aggressive trade expansion to boost exports and open new markets through trade agreements, following the policy direction of Commerce Minister Supa Junsathaphand on regional-level trade and investment integration. The seminar will bring together representatives from government, private sector, civil society, academia, and analytical media to brainstorm and exchange in-depth information through five focus group discussions: (1) goods trade, supply chains, and geopolitics; (2) agriculture and food security; (3) environment and S-Curve industrial development; (4) electronics and mineral resources; and (5) digital and electronic cooperation.

The goal is to promote SME business development through strategic group meetings that will integrate information for country-level negotiations. The outcomes will help remove regulatory and trade barriers. The department urges Thai businesses to focus on and prepare for Kazakhstan market entry by studying new opportunities, including the alternative "Middle Corridor" transport route that reduces geopolitical risk and transit times, adapting to EAEU product standards, and leveraging influential local e-commerce platforms. Strengthening cooperation with Kazakhstan is not only a trade expansion opportunity but also a key step toward future Thailand-EAEU free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations, which would cover a massive consumer base long-term.

Kazakhstan is strategically important as the second-largest economy in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and a key logistics hub connecting Asia and Europe. With GDP growth at 4.8 percent, Kazakhstan has a rapidly expanding middle class with rising demand for consumer goods, innovation, and imported vehicles. Kazakhstan now ranks as Thailand's second-largest trading partner in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and EAEU. Thai automotive parts and components dominate Thailand's export share with the highest growth potential, while machinery, rubber products, and medical equipment also show promising expansion rates.