BANGKOK, Thailand – Thailand has proposed an “Early Warning” mechanism with China to monitor rapidly rising imports and identify potential dumping concerns before they affect Thai businesses or develop into trade disputes.
Arada Fuengthong, Director-General of the Department of Foreign Trade, said she assigned Deputy Director-General Chaninthorn Rimcharoen and a delegation to attend the eighth Thailand-China cooperation meeting on trade remedy measures on September 22.
The meeting was held with China’s Trade Remedy and Investigation Bureau (TRB) under the Ministry of Commerce, with TRB Director-General Peng Tao welcoming the Thai delegation. Thailand proposed establishing the Early Warning mechanism to allow the two countries’ authorities to monitor sharp increases in imports and exchange information on developments that could potentially lead to dumping-related concerns.
The proposed system would create a channel for the two sides to notify each other and discuss emerging issues at an early stage, allowing possible solutions to be explored before Thai businesses are affected and disagreements develop into formal trade disputes.
The proposal comes after Thailand’s imports from China rose sharply in the first two quarters of 2026. Imports were valued at about 2.21 trillion baht, up 31.55% from the same period last year.
The increase has raised concerns among Thai businesses over growing imports through both conventional trade channels and e-commerce.
The Department of Foreign Trade said an early-warning system could give both countries a better view of emerging trade trends and allow them to respond more quickly to potential problems.
“The Early Warning mechanism is not intended to increase the use of trade remedy measures between Thailand and China,” the department said. Instead, it is intended to promote measures that are appropriate, fair and limited to what is necessary.
Thailand and China also exchanged views on technical and legal issues related to investigations for trade remedy measures designed to protect domestic businesses. The two sides discussed the potential use of artificial intelligence in trade remedy investigations and shared experiences on supporting exporters when their products face trade remedy measures imposed by trading partners.
Thailand confirmed its readiness to continue close cooperation with the TRB, supported by the Office of Commercial Affairs in Beijing. China was also invited to attend the ninth Thailand-China cooperation meeting on trade remedy measures, which Thailand will host next year.
