Free trade agreements (FTAs) and export structures: evidence from Thailand

Juthathip Jongwanich

Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, 2025, vol. 30, issue 2, 483-521

Abstract: This study aims to investigate the role of (in-effect) FTAs in influencing export structures, defined as intensive margin, extensive margin (products and markets) and sophistication at product level using Thailand’s FTA-partner countries as a case study during 2006-2020. The results show that FTAs tended to generate favorable impacts in enhancing export structures in Thailand, except the extensive margin in terms of new products. The preferential treatments noticeably expanded (existing) export products of Thailand into the FTA-partner countries (the extensive margin in terms of markets) and helped maintain traditional products exporting into these countries. Impacts of FTAs in improving the intensive and extensive margins were pronounced in Middle-income partners and in manufacturing products. ASEAN and China were export destinations where FTAs driven the intensive and extensive margins (markets) played a noticeable role. Importance of AFTA and ASEAN-China FTA was also observed when export sophistication is concerned. Imports through FTAs only helped enhance export sophistication.

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/13547860.2023.2300584 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:rjapxx:v:30:y:2025:i:2:p:483-521

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/rjap20

DOI: 10.1080/13547860.2023.2300584

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy is currently edited by Leong Liew

More articles in Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().