Thailand and Japan are expected to sign a bilateral free trade area (FTA) agreement in early April, according to Deputy Commerce Minister Preecha Laohapongchana.

After a meeting with Japanese Ambassador to Thailand Hideaki Kobayashi on Monday, Preecha said he discussed with the Japanese top envoy on preparations for the official signing of the Thai- Japanese FTA accord in early April.

The Thai negotiation team had managed to persuade Japan to ease strict rules on imports of Thai farm products in the agreement, Preecha was quoted by Thai News Agency as saying.

The Commerce Ministry had also persuaded Japanese businessmen to make more investment in electronics and auto industries as well as intellectual properties.

Thailand has been in trade deficit with Japan mainly due to the import of machinery and raw materials for production.

Japanese investors are interested in a planned bidding for mega- projects in Thailand and want the bidding process to be implemented in a transparent manner, said the deputy minister.

Source: Xinhua