Cebu City – Cebu’s business sector stands to gain further competitive advantage if local entrepreneurs collaborate with their counterparts in other countries, an industry leader noted.

“Businesses now are talking about global markets,” Jose Ng, Honorary Trade Advisor of Thailand in the Philippines said. “Regional markets are too small but the global market is so big that we need partners to cope with its demands.”

For instance, Ng noted that Thailand has undertaken the strategy of touching base with potential partners in the Philippines to increase trade and promotions.

“Some of our local exporters look at Thailand as a competitor. They are afraid of having their products copied. But competition will always be there, we just have to look for ways to cope with it,” he told reporters during a recent press conference in this City.

Ng announced that starting August 28, the Thai Trade Center in Manila, the Royal Thai Embassy and the Department of Export Promotion, Ministry of Commerce in Thailand will hold a three-day “Made in Thailand Exhibition 2009” at the SM City Cebu.

Some 30 Thailand-based companies will be participating in the Exhibition, an indication, Ng stressed, “that Thailand is confident about its products, is interested in the Philippine market, and wants to partner with Filipino wholesalers, importers, distributors and agents.”

Thai products and services in the exhibit will include household and kitchenware; health and beauty products; gifts and decors; food and beverages, garments, textiles and fashion accessories; gems and jewelry; electrical appliances; stationary products; auto parts and accessories; games and toys; and construction and packaging products.

This is the second time for Thailand to hold an exhibit in Cebu. In the first exhibit which took place some six years ago, Ng said exhibitors earned an average of P60,000 daily.

Apart from creating partnership opportunities, Ng urged local exporters and producers to participate in monthly international shows in Thailand in order to establish more international linkages.