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China and US treaty ally Thailand bolster military ties
- Air forces kick off 11 days of joint exercises, with highly realistic air combat simulations expected
- Boost for submarine deal as Royal Thai Navy considers using Chinese-made engine
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As Sino-US tensions rise, China’s military ties with Thailand – a US treaty ally – are progressing steadily, with joint exercises and arms sales.
The Chinese and Thai air forces kicked off the 11-day Falcon Strike 2022 exercise at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base in northern Thailand on Sunday. That followed last week’s revival of a US$380 million deal to supply a Chinese-made S26T Yuan-class submarine to the Royal Thai Navy.
China cut off military communication channels with the US this month in response to a visit to Taiwan by Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the US House of Representatives. The People’s Liberation Army staged massive live-fire exercises around the island in response to Pelosi’s trip and launched a new drill on Monday after another US congressional delegation visited Taipei.
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Another US delegation meets Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, soon after Pelosi visit
Another US delegation meets Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, soon after Pelosi visit
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Thailand in June, saying it was part of efforts to strengthen an “unparalleled network of alliances and partnerships” in the region.
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But China has replaced the US as the top arms supplier to Thailand’s ruling military junta in recent years, providing it with equipment ranging from VT-4 main battle tanks to a Type 071E amphibious dock ship.
Bangkok strengthened military ties with Beijing partly because the Americans did not approve of the current junta and the coup that brought it power in 2014, said Zhang Mingliang, professor of Southeast Asia studies at Jinan University in Guangzhou.
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“But I am not overly optimistic about the China-Thailand relationship because there is a clear pattern in Thailand’s foreign policy that it is always full of ups and downs, back and forth, and twist and turns,” he said, adding such gyrations could be due to domestic politics or a way to improve Thailand’s bargaining position.
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