Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has called the first meeting of the International Trade Development Committee to tackle tepid Thai exports.
The premier will declare Thailand's official stance on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the China-led Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) at the meeting, scheduled for Dec 9.
His announcement will dictate Thailand's economic and trade development for the next five years.
Deputy Commerce Minister Suvit Maesincee said the committee's first meeting will gather information and suggestions about Thai exports raised by the private sector during the "Prime Minister Meets CEOs" series.
The government last Monday held its first sit-down with chief executives, starting with the automotive, electronics and electrical appliance sectors, in the country's latest effort to restore confidence among foreign investors.
Gen Prayut met the chief executives of Mitsubishi Motors (Thailand), AutoAlliance (Thailand), Seagate Technology, Mitsubishi Electric Consumer Products, Thai Samsung Electronics and HGST (formerly Hitachi Global Storage Technologies).
The prime minister this month will meet chief executives in food, gems and jewellery, and wellness and medical services.
The meetings will take into account the report on the pros and cons of the TPP.
Gen Prayut will also discuss structural trade reform, which calls for trade in services to increase to 50% of the country's GDP over the next five years from 30% now. Trade in goods contributes 70% of GDP, Mr Suvit said.
"Thailand needs to rev up its strength in services and promote accessibility to international markets, as goods exports are unlikely to enjoy hefty growth as in the past," Mr Suvit said. "It poses a risk, leaving the country's economy to rely on exports of goods, which stem mainly from foreign investment."
He blamed the poor global economy for Thailand's weak export showing, but he added that structural issues have also eroded competitiveness.
Thai shipments are still expected to manage 2.4% growth next year, he said, in line with the International Monetary Fund's estimate.
The government will focus on boosting shipments to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam -- neighbouring countries that offer prospects for consumer products, construction, construction materials and infrastructure development.
The government is also committed to promoting exports to 50 promising cities, including New York, Tokyo, London, Beijing and Shanghai.
Under the promotion plan, the ministry has assigned the International Trade Promotion Department to conduct a thorough study of each market's consumer demand, consumption behaviour, income and lifestyle.
The ministry last Monday said export value fell by 5.51% year-on-year in September to US$18.8 billion, easing slightly from August's 6.69% fall.
In the first nine months of the year, export value fell by 4.98% to $162 billion. September import value plunged 26.2% year-on-year to $21.7 billion, resulting in a nine-month fall to $154 billion, down 10.5%.
Agricultural and agribusiness product exports contracted by 9.9% year-on-year last month to $2.65 billion.
Industrial goods shipments fell by 1.9% to $15.1 billion, despite shipments of cars and parts rising by 20.6%, driven by a 144% surge in passenger car exports. The Commerce Ministry is still forecasting exports to contract by 3% this year.