China-Thailand meeting yields agreement on strategic cooperation and military exercises
The meeting was held between China's chief of joint staff, Liu Zhenli, and Thailand's top defence official, Songwit Noonpackdee, during his visit to the Chinese capital.
The two military leaders 'reached important consensus on strengthening strategic communication and deepening cooperation in joint exercises and training', according to a readout on Thursday.
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They also 'exchanged views on issues of common concern, such as relations between the two countries and their militaries and the international and regional situation'.
Liu is a member of the Chinese Central Military Commission, the highest decision-making body of the People's Liberation Army.
The high-level meeting followed a series of diplomatic activities between China and the Southeast Asian country, which is also a traditional US ally in the region.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Thai counterpart last month and said Thailand was a high priority for Chinese diplomacy in the region, following a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra in February.
The two countries have also deepened defence cooperation in the past decade, especially since the 2014 military coup in Thailand, with China replacing the US to become Thailand's top arms supplier.
Their joint exercises have appeared to include more comprehensive combat elements since last year, as highlighted by their joint air drill, 'Falcon Strike 2024'.
Last month, the navies of the two countries concluded their most recent exercise which focused on counterterrorism tactics and anti-submarine warfare.
While joint exercises and arms sales between the US and Thailand have been scaled back, Washington has ramped up its strategic and defence dialogue with Bangkok in the past few years as China's influence expands in the region.
Thailand has imported a range of weapon systems from China, from armoured vehicles to air-defence systems.
The two countries signed a deal in 2017 for Thailand to buy the first of three Yuan-class submarines from China for 13.5 billion baht (US$412 million).
Bangkok has paid an instalment of 7 billion baht, but production has been stalled since 2022 due to China's inability to acquire a German engine because of Berlin's defence export limits.
On Tuesday, Thailand's defence minister Phumtham Wechaychai said he would decide whether to accept the submarine with Chinese engines or cancel the contract and lose 80 per cent of the costs paid by the end of this month, according to Khaosod English.
The Thai news site also reported that the Thai government had been asked by the Chinese ambassador to Thailand several times about when it would proceed with the remaining payment for the purchase of Chinese-made submarines, citing Wechayachai.
Bangkok had previously asked Berlin to reconsider the embargo of its submarine engine, but Germany has rejected the requests.
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