DRS Thought Leadership

ICC and Thailand’s DITP join forces to boost international commerce

  • 27 June 2018

On the occasion of an official visit by Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to Paris this week, the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP) of the Thai Ministry of Commerce and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) announced a new partnership to support international trade and cross-border business activities in Thailand and the region.

DITP Director-General Chantira Jimreivat Vivatrat, ICC Secretary General John W.H. Denton AO and Chair of ICC Thailand Somyod Tangmeelarp, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to bolster cooperation and information exchange between DITP and ICC on issues relating to trade and investment and to promote tools to facilitate international trade in areas such as commercial trade transactions, trade finance, sustainability, corporate responsibility, e-commerce, and SME development. Such tools include ICC Incoterms® Rules, ICC Model Contracts, ATA Carnet international customs documents and the ICC Digital Library.

Under the terms of the MOU, ICC and DITP commit to strengthening international trade through capacity-building and skills development delivered via ICC’s educational arm, the ICC Academy. They will also pursue other collaborative activities to meet common objectives to promote inclusive growth and international trade in Thailand and the wider ASEAN region. Such efforts include promoting cooperation between governments and business by leveraging ICC’s worldwide network of 6 million members in more than 100 countries.

“I’m delighted to formalize the ICC-DITP partnership by way of this MOU and take our current engagement to the next level,” said ICC Secretary General John W.H. Denton AO. “We look forward to working more closely with DITP in our mission to make business work for everyone, everywhere.”

“Joining forces to leverage the distinctive roles of DITP and ICC will go a long way in helping us to achieve coherence in policymaking and international rules setting on trade in today’s rapidly changing social and economic landscape,” said Ms Somyod Tangmeelarp.

On Monday, Ms Jimreivat Vivatrat and the Thai delegation attended the Thailand Business Forum where Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha presented his vision for transforming the country to a value-based and innovation-driven economy to business leaders. The forum also featured a keynote address from Uttama Savanayana, Thailand’s Minister of Industry who detailed how the transformation would be achieved through the Eastern Economic Corridor Development Plan under scheme Thailand 4.0.