hai Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit on Friday told the media that he had recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Myanmar to boost border trade at the second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge.
The second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge over Moei River connects Tak's Mae Sot district and Myawaddy in Myanmar.
Jurin said options including opening the bridge until midnight and upgrading quality of border markets are being discussed between Thailand and Myanmar.
The Department of Foreign Trade's latest data indicated that border trade between Thailand and Myanmar over the first eight months of 2019 was valued at 133.86 billion baht (4.396 billion U.S.dollars), marking an increase of 4.73 per cent from the same period last year.
However, exports were only worth 68.9 billion baht (2.262 billion U.S. dollars), down by 4.1 per cent, while imports accounted for 64.9 billion baht (US 2.131 dollars), up 16.08 billion.
Jurin said Thailand's main exports to Myanmar included diesel and refined oil, capital goods, construction tools and machinery.
