Bangkok (VNA) – The Thai Government has becomemore optimistic about the country's cross-border trade prospects in 2021 afteroverall cross-border trade, including transit trade, recorded healthy growth of31.2 percent in the first eight months.

Thai Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit was quoted bylocal media as saying that overall cross-border trade, including transit trade,tallied 1.11 trillion baht (32.89 billion USD) from January to August. Of the total, exports made up 682 billion baht, up 38 percent, whileimports rose 21.7 percent to 436 billion baht, he added.

Cross-border trade was very active and is expected to exceed the growth targetof 3-6 percent set earlier by the ministry, said he said, attributing thegrowth to buyers' confidence in the quality of Thai products, the economicrecovery of neighbouring countries and efforts by the ministry to addresstraffic congestion at border checkpoints.

Jurin said an anticipated rise in this year's cross-border trade is also anoutcome of the ministry's ongoing efforts to expedite the reopening of bordercheckpoints. Thailand has reopened 46 checkpoints, with 51 still closeddue to the pandemic.

According to Jurin, the ministry vows to expand border tradewith Laos, Malaysia and Cambodia.

He expected to reopen more checkpoints soon after assigningthe Foreign Trade Department to team up with the private sector and thegovernors of border provinces, including Chiang Rai, Loei, Nong Khai, NakhonPhanom and Mukdahan, to continue negotiations with neighbouring countries. Responsibleagencies and the private sector are also pushing for the reopening of theBuketa and Tak Bai border checkpoints in Narathiwat, he added.

Last year, cross-border trade of Thailand dropped 1.7 percent year on year to1.31 trillion baht. The fall was due to impacts of COVID-19 which led to theshutdown of border checkpoints to prevent the spreading of the pandemic, alongwith a rise in the price of baht./.