The Thai Ministry of Commerce is considering a crackdown on cheap and substandard products imported from China, which are driving local enterprises out of the market and out of business.
The Commerce Ministry recently held a meeting with the Public Health Ministry, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, the Finance Ministry, the Board of Investment, the Department of Special Investigation, the Consumer Protection Board and the Thailand Industrial Standards Institute, after many local businessmen had complained about the flood of cheap and substandard products arriving from China.
They are available for online and offline purchase in Thailand.
There has been a recent proliferation of possibly illegal Chinese stores in areas frequented by Chinese tourists.
Serious concerns have also been raised over the Thailand launch this month of a major Chinese online platform, Temu, which is offering ‘fire-sale’ discounts on a wide range of Chinese products, with a promise to deliver in under five days.
Commerce Permanent Secretary Vuttikrai Leewiraphan told the media today that, to tackle this problem, officials must focus on trading models, online and offline sales.
He said officials will find out whether the products were imported legally and whether they have passed quality testing. If the physical stores are located in areas where many Chinese are staying, he said the officials would check whether their employees are non-Thai, whether they have work permits, whether the stores are legally registered and whether the products for sale infringe on intellectual property rights.
For online sales, Vuttikrai said the ministry will seek cooperation from the Customs Department, by providing information about the top ten most popular products sold online, so they can determine whether they meet quality standards and are suitable for importation.
