CHIANG RAI – Thai Customs House reports Thai-Myanmar-Laos-China border trade through northern checkpoints has remained upbeat in fiscal year 2025, with total value topping 220 billion baht. Mae Sai–Tachilek reopens for normal imports, while Mae Sot–Myawaddy leads the pack despite intense and prolonged clashes in Kayin State.
The Customs Office House reported that cross-border trade with Myanmar, Lao PDR, and China via northern customs checkpoints reached 224,215.423 million baht in fiscal year 2568. Exports came to 150,860.635 million baht, and imports to 73,354.788 million baht.
The covered checkpoints include Mae Sai, Chiang Saen, Chiang Khong in Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son and Mae Sariang in Mae Hong Son, Chiang Dao and Chiang Mai, Mae Sot in Tak, and Thung Chang in Nan.
At Mae Sai, Myanmar authorities had tightened controls on Thai imports from 1 September 2568. About a week later, they allowed normal import and export flows. Exports to Tachilek in Myanmar then totalled 11,462.327 million baht for the year.
Export values by checkpoint were as follows: Chiang Saen at 9,285.396 million baht, Chiang Khong at 42,099.333 million baht, Mae Hong Son at 805.126 million baht, Mae Sariang at 140.080 million baht, Chiang Mai at 27,328.331 million baht, and Thung Chang at Bt 6,269.217 million.
Mae Sot Border Trade
Mae Sot, opposite Myawaddy in Kayin State, continued to post the highest export value despite fighting that reached parts of Myawaddy city, a key trade route. Exports through Mae Sot came to 53,470.825 million baht.
Top exports were fresh fruit, mainly durian, longan, and tamarind, shipped through Region 3 checkpoints at 439,419,339.24 kilograms, with an estimated value of about 38,669,877 million baht. Other major exports included diesel at about 14,308 million baht, fresh mangosteen at about 8,348.826 million baht, and energy drinks at about 6,759.8 million baht.
Main imports were electricity at about 26,013.7 million baht, unwrought antimony at about 8,172.1 million baht, antimony ore at about 6,729.3 million baht, fresh grapes at about 5,186.4 million baht, mandarins at about 2,159.7 million baht, Chinese cabbage and pak choi at about 1,867.3 million baht, and maize for animal feed at about 1,743.7 million baht.
Thailand’s northern border with Myanmar spans approximately 1,800 kilometres across provinces like Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Tak, and Kanchanaburi. This rugged, mountainous terrain has long been a hotspot for transnational challenges, exacerbated by Myanmar’s ongoing civil war since the 2021 military coup.
As of October 2025, security remains volatile, marked by territorial encroachments, rampant transnational crime, refugee influxes, and trade disruptions. Thailand’s response involves a mix of bilateral diplomacy, military patrols, and multinational crackdowns, but porous borders and Myanmar’s instability continue to strain resources.
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