IN THE PRESIDENTIAL STATEMENT ISSUED AT THE 34TH ASEAN SUMMIT IN JUNE THIS YEAR, ASEAN LEADERS UNANIMOUSLY ISSUED A WARNING OF THE RISKS POSED BY TRADE PROTECTIONISM AND REITERATED ASEAN'S OPPOSITION TO TRADE PROTECTIONISM AND SUPPORT FOR MAINTAINING THE MULTILATERAL TRADING SYSTEM. ON THE EVE OF THE 35TH ASEAN SUMMIT, SEVERAL THAI EXPERTS TOLD REPORTERS THAT TRADE PROTECTIONISM AND UNILATERALISM NOT ONLY AFFECT THAILAND'S ECONOMIC GROWTH MOMENTUM, BUT ALSO GRADUALLY MANIFEST THEIR NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE ENTIRE SOUTHEAST ASIAN ECONOMY.IN LATE OCTOBER, THE UNITED STATES ANNOUNCED THE SUSPENSION OF THAILAND'S GENERALIZED SYSTEM OF PREFERENCES TARIFF TREATMENT, INVOLVING THAI GOODS SUCH AS SEAFOOD AND FRUIT JUICE EXPORTED TO THE UNITED STATES, EXACERBATING THAILAND'S EXPORT SITUATION. HOWEVER, AMONG THE MULTIPLE DECLINING TRADE FIGURES THIS YEAR, THAI INDUSTRY INSIDERS HAVE ALSO FOUND THAT INNOVATIVE PRACTICES IN THAI CHINESE TRADE SUCH AS CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE COOPERATION ARE BRINGING NEW HIGHLIGHTS TO THAILAND'S EXPORTS.IN RECENT YEARS, THAILAND'S ECONOMIC GROWTH RATE HAS REMAINED BETWEEN 3% AND 4%, BUT THE GROWTH RATE HAS SIGNIFICANTLY SLOWED DOWN SINCE ENTERING 2019. ACCORDING TO DATA FROM THE NATIONAL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION OF THAILAND, THE THAI ECONOMY GREW BY 2.8% IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THIS YEAR, 2.3% IN THE SECOND QUARTER, AND ONLY 2.6% IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR.WHAT WORRIES THAI ECONOMISTS EVEN MORE IS THAT THE TREND OF THAILAND'S EXPORT GROWTH IS REVERSING: THE TOTAL EXPORT VOLUME OF THAILAND IN THE SECOND QUARTER OF THIS YEAR DECREASED BY 4.2% COMPARED TO THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR, AND THE TOTAL EXPORT VOLUME IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR DECREASED BY 4.1% YEAR-ON-YEAR. AMONG THE MAIN EXPORT COMMODITIES, RUBBER AND ITS PRODUCTS, MOTOR VEHICLES, PETROCHEMICAL PRODUCTS, COMPUTER SPARE PARTS, RICE, SUGAR, ETC. HAVE ALL EXPERIENCED SIGNIFICANT DECLINES.THE NATIONAL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL OF THAILAND BELIEVES THAT THE CONTINUOUSLY RISING INTERNATIONAL TRADE BARRIERS AND THE POOR ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE OF SOME TRADING PARTNERS ARE THE MAIN REASONS FOR THE DECLINE IN THAILAND'S EXPORTS. THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE COMMITTEE, TOSA PENG, SAID THAT TRADE PROTECTIONISM HAS AFFECTED THE THAI ECONOMY, CAUSING A DECLINE IN EXPORTS, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCT PRICES, AND A DECREASE IN TOURISTS IN THAILAND.EXPERTS FROM THE TRADE PROMOTION DEPARTMENT OF THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE OF THAILAND, CHAKRI RIN, SAID IN AN INTERVIEW WITH REPORTERS THAT THAILAND IS A PART OF THE GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN, AND THE TREND OF RISING TRADE PROTECTIONISM HAS GREATLY AFFECTED THAILAND'S COMMODITY EXPORTS. ACCORDING TO DATA FROM THE THAI MINISTRY OF COMMERCE, THAILAND'S EXPORTS TO ASEAN, JAPAN, THE EUROPEAN UNION, AND THE MIDDLE EAST HAVE ALL DECLINED FROM JANUARY TO SEPTEMBER THIS YEAR.TO COPE WITH THE IMPACT OF GLOBAL TRADE PROTECTIONISM ON THE THAI ECONOMY, THAILAND HAS TAKEN A DIFFERENT APPROACH IN EXPORTING SPECIALTY PRODUCTS. TAKING THAI SPECIALTY FRUITS AS AN EXAMPLE, SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR, THAILAND HAS FULLY UTILIZED CHINA'S HUGE MARKET DEMAND AND COMPLETE E-COMMERCE NETWORK TO ACHIEVE COUNTER TREND GROWTH IN FRUIT EXPORTS.ACCORDING TO STATISTICS FROM THE THAI MINISTRY OF COMMERCE, THE TOTAL EXPORT VALUE OF DURIAN IN THAILAND REACHED 817 MILLION US DOLLARS IN THE FIRST HALF OF THIS YEAR, A YEAR-ON-YEAR INCREASE OF 45%. AMONG THEM, THE TOTAL EXPORT VALUE OF DURIAN TO CHINA REACHED 425 MILLION US DOLLARS, A YEAR-ON-YEAR INCREASE OF 70%. DURING THE SAME PERIOD, THE EXPORT VALUE OF THAI BAMBOO TO CHINA REACHED 229 MILLION US DOLLARS, ACCOUNTING FOR 71% OF THE TOTAL EXPORT VALUE OF BAMBOO, A YEAR-ON-YEAR INCREASE OF 408%.THE REPORT RELEASED BY THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE NEGOTIATION DEPARTMENT OF THE THAI MINISTRY OF COMMERCE POINTED OUT THAT THE RAPID GROWTH OF FRUIT EXPORTS SUCH AS DURIAN AND MANGOSTEEN IS DUE TO THE ZERO TARIFF ARRANGEMENT FOR VEGETABLES AND FRUITS IMPLEMENTED BY THAILAND AND CHINA UNDER THE FRAMEWORK OF THE ASEAN CHINA FREE TRADE AREA.IN ADDITION TO THE FAVORABLE POLICY OF ZERO TARIFFS, CHINA'S MEASURES TO EXPAND OPENING UP HAVE ALSO BROUGHT NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR THAILAND'S FRUIT EXPORTS. NATAPONG, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE THAI THINK TANK KAITAI RESEARCH CENTER, SAID THAT CHINA'S SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF NEWLY ESTABLISHED CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE COMPREHENSIVE PILOT ZONES HAS GREATLY PROMOTED THAILAND'S FRUIT EXPORTS.