ไทย
The Ministry of Commerce revealed that Thailand has enjoyed a continuous trade surplus with the United States, with the latest surplus reaching over 900 billion baht in the first seven months, following a surge in exports to avoid retaliatory tariffs. Meanwhile, the LA Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP) stated that Trump has petitioned the Supreme Court to review the Court of Appeals’ ruling, which ruled that the president lacks the authority to impose retaliatory tariffs on trading partners. If the court finds a loss, the government is prepared to reimburse trading partners between $750 billion and $1 trillion in taxes, but is already preparing a second plan to continue collecting import tariffs.
Reporters from the Ministry of Commerce reported that during the seven months of January-July 2025, Thailand continued to enjoy a trade surplus with the United States, reaching a value of 904.987 billion baht (US$27.374 billion). Exports reached 1.321 trillion baht (US$39.708 billion), a 30.07% increase, to avoid retaliatory tariffs. Imports only reached 415.823 billion baht (US$12.333 billion), an 8.30% increase. Meanwhile, in July 2025 alone, Thailand enjoyed a trade surplus of 146.985 billion baht (US$4.547 billion), from exports of 204.492 billion baht (US$6.296 billion), a 31.36% increase, while imports only reached 57.507 billion baht (US$1.749 billion), a 7.459% decrease.
The top five products with the highest export value over the seven-month period were
1.) computers, equipment, and components at $10.295 billion, an 81.33% increase
2.) rubber products at $2.783 billion, an 11.83% increase
3.) fax machines, telephones, equipment, and components at $2.724 billion, an 9.06% increase;
4.) electric transformers and components at $1.499 billion, an 31.27% increase
5.) gems and jewelry at $1.498 billion, an 35.87% increase.
The top five imported products were crude oil at $2,828 million, an increase of 26.06%; machinery and components at $1,184 million, a decrease of 2.66%; natural gas at $748 million, an increase of 10.90%; chemicals at $712 million, a decrease of 7.18%; and electrical machinery and components at $582 million, an increase of 7.51%.
However, following the US announcement of a 19% retaliatory tariff on Thailand, effective August 7, 2025, imports from Thailand are expected to slow. However, Thai products are believed to remain competitive in the US market, as competitors are charged similar rates: Vietnam 20%, Malaysia 19%, the Philippines 19%, etc.
Regarding the case on September 3, 2015, when the US Court of Appeals ruled that President Donald Trump had no right under the National Security Act to use retaliatory tariffs against his trading partners, a decision upheld by the lower court after states filed lawsuits with the lower court, President Trump has recently filed a petition with the Supreme Court to review the appeals court’s decision.
The Office of International Trade Promotion (OITP) in Los Angeles, USA, reported that many believe there is a high probability that the U.S. Supreme Court will rule in the same direction as the lower court and the Court of Appeals. Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant warned the Supreme Court in a filing that if the court ruled against the president, the U.S. government would have to refund import taxes resulting from the retaliatory tariff policy of between $750 billion and $1 trillion.
However, the president has already devised a backup plan to proceed with import tariffs if the Supreme Court upholds the appeals court’s decision. He could choose one of the following:
1.) Congress enacts import tariff legislation, which is normally within Congress’s constitutional authority.
2.) Invoke Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which gives the president the power to adjust import tariffs on certain products for security reasons, similar to those imposed on steel, aluminum, automobiles, etc.
Or 3.) Use Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which gives the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) the authority to take legal action against trading partners, but only under presidential orders, which, if true, would continue to cause problems and difficulties in trading with the United States.
The US began collecting baseline import tariffs of 10% from all trading partners on April 5, 2025, and began collecting reciprocal tariffs on August 7, 2025. It is estimated that the US has already collected hundreds of billions of dollars in retaliatory tariffs, with import tariffs reaching as high as $30 billion in July 2025, a 242% increase over July 2024.
Read more at: https://www.thairath.co.th/news/governmentpolicy/2886015