BANGKOK — Thailand’s Department of Foreign Trade (DFT) is heightening surveillance of products at risk of falsely claiming Thai origin in exports to the United States following the US announcement of a 36% import tariff on goods from Thailand.
Arada Fuangtong, Director-General of the Department of Foreign Trade, stated that the monitoring comes in response to the US implementation of reciprocal tariffs on various countries worldwide, with Thailand facing a 36% rate. The Ministry of Commerce, through the DFT, has been continuously monitoring potential circumvention of US measures by other countries to assure US Customs that exported goods genuinely originate from Thailand.
The DFT has identified 49 high-risk products requiring special monitoring, including solar panels, steel wheels for trucks, artificial stone slabs, and steel pipes. Exporters of these items must undergo origin verification before obtaining the general Certificate of Origin (Form C/O).
“This measure will screen products to prevent US tax evasion from other countries,” Fuangtong explained. “Exporters wishing to obtain a general C/O form for US-bound goods must first pass origin verification from the department before they can receive the certificate needed for export to the United States.”
According to collaborative efforts with US Customs authorities, the number of US production process inspections has decreased from 10 to 6 items, with only two cases of origin fraud detected. The department has revoked the general C/O certificates in these cases and implemented measures against the exporters involved, while also strengthening the verification process for general C/O certificate applications.
Fuangtong added that the department plans to expand its watchlist by closely monitoring trade statistics for other high-risk products that might falsely claim Thai origin under anti-dumping measures and Section 301 actions. The department is now also monitoring products under Section 232 measures to manage the risk of goods falsely claiming Thai origin.
The DFT will consider adding more items to its watchlist and continues to coordinate with US Customs authorities to more effectively prevent problems related to falsely claimed Thai origins.
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