Durian exports and electronic goods imports drove border trade with third countries in May, with China being the top trading partner by value, according to the Department of Foreign Trade (DFT).
Border trade with third countries refers to the exchange of goods between Thailand and final destinations, using transit routes through neighbouring countries.
Arada Fuangtong, director-general of the DFT, said border trade with third countries was the key driver of overall border trade amid the situations along the Myanmar and Cambodia-Thailand borders.
In May, border trade with third countries expanded by 26.2% year-on-year to 145.4 billion baht, with exports rising 24.3% to 91.2 billion baht.
Thailand exported 311,587 tonnes of durians, valued at 39.4 billion baht, up 30.9% year-on-year in May. Of this total, 311,549 tonnes were exported to China, accounting for nearly the entire value.
Meanwhile, imports from third countries via border trade rose by 29.6% year-on-year to 54.1 billion baht in May. Key categories showing significant growth included magnetic tape and magnetic disks for computers at 8%, computers and peripherals at 87.7%, and computer components at 74.7%.
China ranked first by trade value at 92.7 billion baht, up 19.8%, followed by Singapore and Vietnam with trade growth of 55.8% and 52.1%, respectively.
In the first five months of this year, border trade with third countries reached 557.9 billion baht, a growth of 38.2%. Exports amounted to 308.3 billion baht, up 40.3%, and imports rose 35.7% to 249.6 billion baht.
Mrs Arada added that border trade with four neighbouring countries dropped by 13.5% year-on-year to 74 billion baht in May. Exports fell by 24.9% to 41.1 billion baht and imports decreased by 6.6% to 32.9 billion baht.
Malaysia led in trade value, followed by Laos and Myanmar. Border trade with Cambodia remained at zero due to border closures.
Major export goods include diesel and other refined petroleum products and concentrated latex.
In the first five months of this year, border trade value declined by 18.2% to 351.5 billion baht. Exports dropped by 22.5% to 202.3 billion baht and imports declined by 11.6% to 149.1 billion baht.
