Thailand to rebalance US, China ties in 2016
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Subject
Outlook for Thai diplomatic relations.
Significance
On December 16, the fifth US-Thailand Strategic Dialogue was held in Bangkok, the first round of the dialogue since the 2014 coup. No major deliverable emerged, but the dialogue was viewed as a success simply because it was convened. Three days later, Thailand and China broke ground on a new rail system to connect Kunming to Bangkok and Thailand's eastern seaboard.
Impacts
- China-ASEAN and therefore intra-ASEAN land-based connectivity is set to increase.
- US investors are increasingly wary of political and regulatory uncertainty in Thailand.
- Although China is Thailand's largest trading partner, the United States is its primary security ally.
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