China and Thailand strengthen military cooperation at a time of instability in Southeast Asia
China is ready to expand military cooperation and maintain regional stability with Thailand, with a series of joint exercises planned for this year.
Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu offered this guarantee to Narongphan Jitkaewtae, commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army, during an interview held in Beijing on Saturday. "China is ready to work with Thailand to implement to the letter the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries … and to push for greater cooperation between the two militaries, especially between the two armies," the ministry said. of the Defense a.
The meeting comes about seven months after Chinese President Xi Jinping and Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Bangkok.
Li said that several joint exercises between the two countries are planned this year, including "Assault 2023" and "Peace and Friendship 2023".
"As the Asia-Pacific is facing some security challenges, China is willing to jointly maintain regional stability with Thailand and ensure lasting security in the region," Li said, adding that there is a "good impetus" in the development of relations between the two armies.
In his first speech to an international audience at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore last weekend, Li said that "some countries" are intensifying the arms race in Asia and that both Beijing and Washington must seek a common ground amid escalating tensions.
On Saturday, Jitkaewtae said Thailand "appreciates and strongly supports China's important role in maintaining regional security and stability," according to China's defense ministry. He added that the two countries are good friends, partners, relatives and neighbors who have achieved fruitful cooperation in the fields of trade, culture and high-level exchanges.
In November, Xi and Chan-o-cha signed a cooperation plan to jointly promote the Belt and Road Initiative, China's transnational infrastructure project. Meanwhile, Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn was in China this week for her 50th visit. Well known on the mainland as China's "international friend", Sirindhorn met with top diplomat Wang Yi and pledged to continue promoting the friendship between Thailand and China.
All of this takes place the month after the elections which saw the pro-monarchist parties heavily defeated and close to the military wing that has governed the country in recent years. The elections were won by Pita Limjaroenrat's "Let's go forward" movement, but the legitimacy was questioned by the electoral commission, appointed by the previous government, due to the failure to declare ownership of 42,000 shares of the iTV media, which should have been do by law.
Pita had built a potential eight-party coalition to govern the country in place of the conservative Palang Pracharath Party and its allies, who came out heavily defeated, and who had voted for prime minister, former general Prayut Chan-o-cha. If the charges against Pita have a criminal outcome, his position may not be compatible with the office of Prime Minister, but this could open the door to a period of political uncertainty. This explains the propensity for the Thai military to strengthen ties with China, in an attempt to strengthen its position to face a period of potential instability.
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The article China and Thailand strengthen military cooperation in a time of instability in Southeast Asia comes from Scenarios Economics .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/cina-e-thailandia-rafforzano-la-cooperazione-militare-in-un-momento-di-instabilita-nel-sud-est-asiatico/ on Sun, 11 Jun 2023 16:05:22 +0000.