The Coalition, which was formed after the announcement made by President George Bush and Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of the intention to negotiate a US-Thailand Free Trade Agreement (FTA), is made up of approximately 100 US companies interested in supporting the negotiation, passage, and implementation of a premium trade agreement between the United States and Thailand.

"The US Thailand Free Trade Agreement Business Coalition is designed to bring together America's strongest proponents for building our competitiveness by enhancing our trade and investment linkages with vital markets and strong partners like Thailand," says Ernest Z. Bower, President of the US-ASEAN Business Council. "Our group represents America's leading companies, business, trade and agricultural organizations. We will work for a world-class agreement, and then ensure it is well supported by both our governments. This agreement will unlock enormous opportunities for American and Thai companies, and it will create high-paying export related jobs in both countries."

The Coalition will be led by Corporate Co-Chairs FedEx, General Electric Company, New York Life International, QUALCOMM Inc., Time Warner, and Unocal Corporation, a Steering Committee made up of twenty US companies and organizations, and a Secretariat comprised of the US ASEAN Business Council and the National Association of Manufacturing. Representing a broad range of sectors, the Coalition enjoys the support of a large variety of American business industries.

"American business is taking a leadership role in this free-trade coalition because we believe a successful U.S.-Thai trade agreement will help promote U.S. exports and balanced two-way trade growth," said NAM Vice President for International Economic Affairs Frank Vargo. "Thailand has a growing industrial and consumer base that provides a lot of opportunities once tariff and non-tariff barriers are removed, and a successful accord here will also pave the way for further opening in other Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) members."

Thailand, whose GDP growth in 2003 was 6.7%, is one of the fastest growing economies in Asia. With 2003 two-way trade between the two countries at 21.022 billion USD, Thailand is currently the United States eighteenth largest trading partner.

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The US-Thailand Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Business Coalition is a coalition of organizations and companies strongly committed to promoting the negotiation, passage, and implementation of a meaningful and comprehensive bilateral FTA between the United States and Thailand. Made up of approximately 100 US organizations and companies from a broad range of industries, the Coalition is the premier voice representing US business interests in the US-Thailand FTA process. For information on the US-Thailand FTA Business Coalition, visit the Coalition's website at www.us-asean.org/us-thai-fta.