Sri Lanka, July 29 -- Thailand's trade talks with the United States are expected to be concluded before Aug 1, and US tariffs on the country are not expected to be as high as 36 per cent, its finance minister said on Tuesday (Jul 29).

The United States was Thailand's largest export market last year, accounting for 18.3 per cent of total shipments, or US$54.96 billion. Washington has put its deficit with Thailand at US$45.6 billion.

Thailand is ready to negotiate and its proposal remains the same, Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira told reporters.

"The United States has already opened the way for further negotiations, and we will continue the discussions," he said.

Asked whether the talks could be done before the Aug 1 deadline, Pich...