The United Arab Emirates and Thailand announced in Bangkok on 8 October that they had concluded negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported that the meeting included UAE Minister of Foreign Trade Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun. This does not mean the agreement is in force: WAM said the sides still need to complete legal and technical procedures before official signing and entry into force. It would therefore be premature to report that tariffs have been removed or that companies already have new market access under the pact.

WAM reported that UAE-Thailand non-oil trade reached US$12.3 billion in 2025, up 65.2% from 2024. Trade in the first half of 2026 was reported at US$10.2 billion, 75.4% higher than in the same period a year earlier. The article also gave UAE non-oil exports to Thailand of US$4.5 billion and imports from Thailand of US$7.2 billion in 2025. Those two figures do not equal the stated US$12.3 billion total, and the source does not explain the difference or identify other components. They should not be added to reconstruct the total or used to infer an unreported amount.

The announcement says the CEPA is intended to reduce trade barriers, improve market access and support investment. Priority areas named include advanced manufacturing, logistics, food security, digital trade, renewable energy and precious metals. The UAE foreign-trade minister said the framework would strengthen economic links between Southeast Asia and the Middle East; Thailand’s prime minister said it would create opportunities for businesses in both countries. The report does not list tariff cuts by product, rules of origin, services commitments or investment-protection provisions. Without the agreement text, it is not possible to assign measurable benefits to a particular sector or company.

Trade growth predates the conclusion of negotiations, so the 2025 and first-half 2026 figures provide context for the existing relationship rather than a measure of future CEPA effects. Once signing, ratification and entry-into-force dates are known, the tariff schedules, origin rules, services access and implementation timetable can be assessed. Commercial outcomes will also depend on product standards, logistics costs, payment terms and supplier capacity, alongside tariff treatment. The list of sectors in the announcement signals areas for cooperation; it is not a commitment to specific investment or trade volumes in each one. WAM said the next phase would complete legal and technical steps, but it gave no effective date.