Minister of Commerce Niwatthamrong Bunsongphaisan asserted on Monday the Chinese government remained interested in exchanging Chinese high-speed trains for Thai rice.

Mr. Niwatthamrong last week attended a roadshow of the ASEAN region held in China, and had the opportunity to confer with Chinese representatives about the purchase of Thai produce. He said on Monday that China would send a team to discuss the matter with Thailandin November,and representatives of both countries will again discuss the topic through their joint economic and investment collaboration committee, which should yield conclusions at the policy level.

Thailand will probably achieve the 1.2 million tons of rice sale to China by early November. The pricing would, however, be based on the Ex Warehouse method, meaning the price would be lower than that in the FOB market. China will have the opportunity to inspect the quality of the produce before the country accepts the goods,Mr. Niwatthamrong said.

Source:  National News Bureau & Public Relations