Thailand links with Japan on garments

Thai manufacturers and agen¬cies are in Tokyo to create a pro¬gramme with Japanese partners. Both countries have stepped for¬ward under initiatives for technical cooperation and market access under the JapanThailand Economic Partnership Agreement (Jtepa).

Participating in the trip are the National Federation of Thai Textile Industries, Thai Textile Manufacturers Association, Thai Synthetic Fibre Manufacturers Association, Thai Garment Manufacturers Association and Thai Weaving Industries Association. The Japanese side con¬sists of the Japan Textile Federation, Japan External Trade Organisation and Kaidanren, Japan's business federation.

Dej Pathanasethpong, president of the National Federation of Thai Textile Industries, said the fourday meeting would focus on energysaving manufacturing and product development.

The cooperation will allow Thailand to learn about more advanced technology to achieve highquality products.

The countries will also consider a programme to jointly develop small and mediumsized garment enterprises in Thailand. Previously, they created a model manufactur¬ing unit in Chiang Mai to develop products for Japan.

Successful development will strengthen both countries' com¬petitiveness. It is forecast that Asia will be the largest textile manufac¬turing region in terms of yarn, fab¬ric and garments.

Jtepa will allow the Thai textile industry to access more of the Japanese market thanks to tariff reduction from 2.713.4 per cent to zero.