Trade and Economy of the Thai Kingdoms

Trade and Economy of the Early Thai Kingdoms

• Ayutthaya was an international trading center (it was the major trading center in South East Asia)
• Dutch and Portuguese traders established ports in Thailand
• Muslim merchants brought cloth, opium and minerals with which they traded for spices, Chinese goods, gold, jewels, and aromatic guns.
• Chinese traders brought in tea, silk, porcelain, minerals, spices, foodstuffs, aromatic wood and a variety of forest products.
• The Dutch expanded the trade network (imported European cloth and glassware)
• The trade system is formed by the Chinese merchants
• Thai economy was based on valley economy- which means that the farmers from the village would send the rice to bigger city which is usually the capital city.
• Because of trade, Ayutthaya became extremely wealthy
• There was a connection between Thai trade and Burmese invasion because they felt intimidated and they felt threatened by the Thai capital. Thai trade allowed Thailand to be prosperous, so the Burmese were envious.
• Money, geopolitical ambition, Burma needs trade in order to get the guns from the Europeans, so they can dominate Thailand
• After the Burmese invaded: 1820 and 1830, the military threat from Burma gradually disappeared, Thai economy increased dramatically.
• Plantations of sugar, pepper, tobacco, and cotton, indigo sprang up in the countryside.
• The economy is based on rice. (Solid base of rice production)
• Luxury items, necessary items
• Countries that trade in Ayutthaya included China, Portugal, Spain, India, Arabia, Iran, Malaysia, Indonesia, England and Holland