Shoppers check out Thai durians at a grocery market in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on May 12. YU XIANGQUAN/FOR CHINA DAILY
China's opening-up efforts are injecting momentum into bilateral trade with Thailand, especially for premium Thai exports such as durian and cosmetics, a leading Thai business representative has said.
Confident that China will emerge as "the world's largest retail market" within four to five years, Phaichit Viboontanasarn, vice-chairman and secretary-general of the Thai Chamber of Commerce in China, said: "The Chinese market is vibrant and brimming with potential. With only a four-to-five-hour flight separating Thailand and China, Thai enterprises are well-positioned to seize these opportunities by understanding Chinese consumer preferences and delivering more high-quality Thai products and services. I am optimistic that meaningful progress will unfold in the near term."
China's Ministry of Commerce said that in 2025, bilateral trade between Thailand and China surpassed 1 trillion yuan ($147.8 billion), up 15.1 percent year-on-year.
Thailand's Ministry of Commerce said that in April, the country's exports to the rest of the world climbed 23.1 percent year-on-year to $31.5 billion, reflecting the growing competitiveness of the Southeast Asian nation's products.
