In 2015, bilateral trade between the United States and Thailand amounted to nearly $40 billion. A free trade agreement could significantly boost trade and further strengthen an important strategic relationship. In October 2004, the U.S.-Thai Free Trade Coalition met with a delegation from the Thai Foreign Affairs Committee. Among the main concerns expressed by Thai officials about the potential agreement were: access to the U.S. market for Thai textiles, the impact of U.S. agricultural exports on Thai farmers, and free trade negotiations that required a change in existing national legislation. The negotiations have generated strong opposition and concern from many Thai social movements, farmers, towards people infected with HIV/AIDS. Initially, a broad civil society coalition, FTA Watch, was established to closely monitor the process from a public interest perspective. (Similarly, trade interests are the foundation of their own free trade coalition between the United States and Thailand.) Under the slogan “Sovereignty is not for sale!”, it includes, among other things, access to medicines, GMOs in agriculture and patents to life of popular interest.

Like other bilateral free trade agreements with the United States, investment, services, government procurement, intellectual property and agriculture will be more recent. Many expect it to be modelled on the free trade agreement between the United States and Singapore. The United States and Thailand began negotiations in June 2004 for a bilateral comprehensive free trade agreement. Thailand is the 25th largest U.S. export market with $11.2 billion in U.S. exports to Thailand. Thailand is The 21st largest export market for California. In 2015, California exported $1.7 billion worth of goods to Thailand.

The U.S. business community founded the FTA American Business Coalition. The role of the coalition will be to work towards a bonus agreement and to ensure that the interests of the U.S. economy are well represented. It will also work to ensure that both parties to the negotiations focus on concluding the agreement in a timely manner and on adopting the agreement through the necessary government processes. The coalition will also be a major source of educational information on the agreement, the importance of U.S.-Thailand relations and the benefits of an agreement for U.S. industry, services and agriculture. It describes the bilateral and multilateral trade agreements to which that country belongs, including with the United States.