Bangkok: Thai-Cambodian border trade in August experienced a significant decline, dropping by 99.9%, marking the lowest value in the past year. This downturn has significantly impacted the overall border trade, which fell by 23.6%.
According to Thai News Agency, the Department of Foreign Trade reported that cross-border trade to third countries, however, continued to show positive growth, expanding by 20.9% and resulting in a trade surplus for the first eight months of the year. Ms. Arada Fuangthong, Director-General of the Department of Foreign Trade, disclosed that in August 2025, Thailand’s border and transit trade amounted to 150.131 billion baht, representing a 3.1% decrease compared to the same period last year. The exports were valued at 75.056 billion baht, a decline of 14.7%, while imports stood at 75.074 billion baht, an increase of 12.2%, resulting in a slight trade deficit of 18 million baht.
Comprehensive figures for the first eight months of 2025, from January to August, indicated a total trade value of 1,338.4 billion baht, a 9.2% increase compared to the same period last year. This included exports of 763.533 billion baht, up by 7.6%, and imports of 574.867 billion baht, up by 11.4%, resulting in a net trade surplus of 188.666 billion baht.
The overall border trade with four neighboring countries in August 2025 was valued at 63,938 million baht, a decrease of 23.6% from the previous year. This was broken down into exports of 33,951 million baht, a decline of 30.1%, and imports of 29,986 million baht, a decrease of 14.5%, resulting in a trade surplus of 3,965 million baht for Thailand.
The countries experiencing the greatest contraction in trade value include Cambodia, with a significant drop to 10 million baht, a contraction of 99.9%; Myanmar at 13,827 million baht, a decrease of 20.8%; Malaysia at 26,969 million baht, a decline of 5.7%; and Lao PDR at 23,131 million baht, a slight decrease of 0.1%. The reduced trade value with Cambodia was attributed to a slowdown in exports of key products such as diesel, computers, and refined oil.
Total border trade for the first eight months of the year amounted to 636.219 billion baht, a decrease of 3.6%. Exports totaled 377.902 billion baht, a decline of 6.7%, while imports reached 258.317 billion baht, a slight increase of 1.2%.
In contrast, cross-border trade to third countries, namely China, Vietnam, and Singapore, in August 2025 achieved a total value of 86,193 million baht, reflecting an increase of 20.9%. Exports totaled 41,105 million baht, an increase of 4.3%, and imports totaled 45,088 million baht, an increase of 41.5%. The destination countries with the highest trade value were China at 41,181 million baht, an increase of 12.9%; Singapore at 14,279 million baht, an increase of 56.0%; and Vietnam at 8,361 million baht, an increase of 27.8%.
Important cross-border export products in August included hard disk drives valued at 7,135 million baht, fresh durian at 7,095 million baht, and computers and other equipment at 2,339 million baht. For the first eight months, cross-border trade totaled 702,181 million baht, an increase of 24.2%, with exports at 385,631 million baht, an increase of 26.5%, and imports at 316,550 million baht, an increase of 21.4%.