Security tangles raise the stakes for Thailand’s US tariff push

[BANGKOK] When Thailand’s newly appointed Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun – a former tech and hospitality executive – travelled to the United States last week to support Thai exporters, her visit did not include any meetings with US trade officials.

The lack of high-level engagement may be telling.

 “Khun Suphajee didn’t get to see anyone, not (from the) Commerce (Department), not the US Trade Representative (USTR). That was a deliberate rebuttal,” opined Dr Thitinan Pongsudhirak, professor of international relations at Chulalongkorn University’s political science faculty.