Government Spokesman Lt-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was happy that the USTR had recognised Thailand’s efforts in combating violation of IPRs. The upgrade followed the US’s out-of-cycle review for Thailand, which had been on the PWL for more than a decade. Commerce Minister Sonthirat Sonthi-Jirawong said the USTR’s upgrade of Thailand’s status under Section Special 301 of the US trade law shows that Thailand’s IPR protection has achieved progress, especially in terms of suppressing illegal sales of counterfeit products. Sonthirat said the status upgrade to the WL would boost Thailand’s international image and foreign investors’ confidence, especially concerning the use of high technology and innovation. As a result, the Thai economy, foreign investment in Thailand and international trade will benefit from the status upgrade to WL.

Source: The Nation Bangkok December 16, 2017 18:11 UTC