Thailand has for many years been adept at navigating between nice powers. Its overseas coverage has been likened to “bamboo diplomacy” – bending with the wind however not breaking.
Mr Sihasak Phuangketkeow, a former everlasting secretary and vice minister for overseas affairs within the earlier Thai authorities, advised me: “We want the Chinese language, however we even have to face as much as China. Thailand ought to present management in Southeast Asia, we can’t present that we’re topic to their strain.”
He added: “We additionally want the US to keep up the steadiness of energy, nevertheless it’s actually not in our curiosity to align with the US towards China.”
Dr Pavin Chachavalpongpun, professor at Kyoto College’s Centre for Southeast Asian Research, doesn’t see a dramatic shift in the direction of China. “I don’t assume there was any main shift in Thai-Chinese language relations. This has been the form of relationship we’ve had for fairly a while,” he stated.
He famous how former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose daughter and present Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is extensively seen as his proxy, had visited his household’s ancestral tombs in China.
Thaksin and his sister Yingluck, who was additionally prime minister earlier than being unseated within the 2014 coup, are fourth-generation Hakka Chinese language immigrants with ancestral roots in Guangdong, China. In 2001 Thaksin visited the ancestral village; in 2014 he once more visited the place collectively together with his sister.
But whereas Thailand has been good at balancing the massive powers, these are testing occasions – and the deportation of the Uyghurs displays poor diplomacy on Thailand’s half. “They might have completed the identical factor (deport the Uyghurs) – however extra intelligently,” stated Dr Pavin.
Individually, when requested whether or not it was legitimate to deduce that the Uyghur episode recommended Thailand was tilting towards – and even deferring to – China, a senior Thai official pushed again, calling the premise flawed.
“It’s not a sure or no reply,” the official stated. “It’s about lodging.”
Nirmal Ghosh is a former overseas correspondent and unbiased writer and author based mostly in Thailand and Singapore.
