A mutually beneficial pact

Despite recent condemnation of Thailand's deportation of Uyghurs, the EU and the local government need to sign a trade deal to offset a protectionist US

- Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Nareerat Wiriyapong and Lamonphet Apisitniran

On March 13, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning Thailand for deporting Uyghurs to China. Members also urged the European Commission to leverage ongoing free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations to press Thailand to reform its lese majeste laws, release political prisoners, and cease the deportation of Uyghurs.

Despite concerns, analysts and industry leaders believe this resolution may cause some delays in the FTA negotiations between Thailand and the European Union (EU), but it is unlikely to derail the process entirely.

THAI-EU FTA DELAYS

Somjai Phagaphasvivat, an independent political and economic analyst, said he believes the Uyghur issue may lead to delays in the Thai-EU FTA negotiations. However, he remains confident the EU will eventually sign the agreement based on mounting pressure from US President Donald Trump's trade policies, which have pushed both Thailand and the EU to expand their trade relations beyond the US.

Mr Somjai said the resolution condemning Thailand is not solely the result of the repatriation of Uyghurs to China. It also includes concerns over Thailand's failure to sign several key International Labour Organization agreements, demands for the release of political prisoners, pressure to terminate the Thailand-China extradition treaty, and calls for Thailand to allow human rights organisations to investigate domestic human rights issues.

He said negotiations for the Thai-EU FTA have progressed within the framework of the Partnership Cooperation Agreement, which is a crucial first step before formal FTA discussions. For the EU to finalise an FTA, it must receive approval from the Council of the EU, which consists of ministers from all EU member states.

The agreement must also be ratified by all 27 EU member countries.