The U.S. Trade Representative previously announced on 25 October that U.S. President Donald J. Trump was suspending USD 1.3 billion in trade preferences for Thailand under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), as according to the U.S., the Southeast Asian nation failed to adequately protect workers’ rights. The removal of GSP status for affected products included in over 500 HTS codes became on 25 April, 2020.

The U.S. Department of Commerce has said that the suspension is “not a big deal” as it represents only USD 1.3 billion of Thailand’s USD 4.4-billion exports under the GSP to the U.S. and is a small fraction of total Thai exports. Much of the removal from GSP eligibility will affect imported seafood products, but there are other items on the list of affected goods as well. A complete listing of all products where GSP eligibility has been removed can be found here.

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