THAI ECONOMIC policymakers and business leaders should adopt a wait-and-watch attitude towards the incoming Trump administration’s trade and related policies, though free trade would still be a key component of the new government’s policies, US Ambassador Glyn Davies said. Although it is difficult to say how the new US administration will spell out its trade and related policies at this stage, Davies assured that free trade between the United States and the rest of the world would continue. Though no official policy direction will be forthcoming until after the presidential inauguration, it is speculated that the Trump administration would pursue trade, security and other related policies that would better serve US interests. On trade policies, it is likely that the direction would lean more towards bilateral deals rather than regional and multilateral free trade agreements, but it remains unclear how the Trump-led government will arrive at the many paths leading in that new direction. The United States also hopes to play a crucial role in helping to upgrade the education sector.

Source: The Nation Bangkok January 18, 2017 18:04 UTC