Kingdom’s global standing firm as nation digs in heels
There are those who claim, with perhaps a touch of melodrama, that Thailand’s international standing has currently reached its lowest point and that the nation has been shunned by others.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Thailand’s global standing remains on firm ground and the country is engaging actively with other players in the region and the world at large.
Relations with our Western partners have warmed up over the past 12 months, particularly after the promulgation of Thailand’s new constitution in April 2017.
Last August, then-secretary of state Rex Tillerson visited Bangkok and reiterated the United States’ desire to strengthen bilateral relations.
This was followed by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s invitation to the White House in October, where he and President Trump reaffirmed “the enduring alliance between the United States and Thailand”.
In their talks, the two leaders resolved to further strengthen the alliance through various means, including enhanced dialogue, closer coordination and regular exchanges.
Another significant development came in December 2017 when the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council adopted “conclusions” on Thailand, reaffirming the importance that the EU attaches to its relations with the kingdom.
Taking note of a number of positive steps taken by the Thai government, the council deemed it appropriate to pursue “gradual political re-engagement with Thailand”, with a resumption of political contacts at all levels.
The council also invited the European Commission to explore with Thailand the possibilities of resuming talks on an EUThailand Free Trade Agreement, which would be mutually beneficial for both sides.
Over the last year there has been a flurry of diplomatic activity involving Thailand, with a number of high-level exchanges of visits. In July 2017, China’s foreign affairs minister paid an official visit to Thailand, followed by the the foreign ministers of Australia and Russia, both in August.
During the first five months of this year, Bangkok has already seen official visits from the foreign ministers of India, Italy the United Kingdom, Bangladesh and Brazil, which underscores the importance attached by these countries to strengthening relations with Thailand.
In terms of outbound visits, Gen Prayut and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai have been busy maintaining Thailand’s high profile in various international and regional meetings. In addition to Asean, APEC, ACD and BIMSTEC, Gen Prayut also attended the 9th Brics Summit in Xiamen, China last year, where he participated in the Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue.
Thailand was the only country in Southeast Asia invited to attend.
For his part, Foreign Minister Don visited Italy and Belgium in March 2017 during which he had fruitful discussions with his counterparts on furthering bilateral cooperation.
He also took the opportunity to meet with high-ranking officials of the European Commission and was warmly welcomed for wide-ranging talks on a variety of issues.
It is expected that Gen Prayut will visit a number of European countries in the near future as discussions are currently taking place on the details and dates of such visits.
Thailand, under the present government, continues to play an active and highly regarded role in regional and international affairs.
Its chairmanship of the Group of 77 demonstrated the country’s leadership skill on a multilateral stage. At present, Thailand has assumed the chair of ACMECS, the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy, and will be hosting the 8th ACMECS Summit next week in Bangkok.
It is an initiative that Thailand conceived 15 years ago and which continues to play an important part in strengthening economic collaboration in the sub-region. Thailand will also assume the chair of Asean next year, and will host Apec in 2022.
All of the above suggests that the scattered concerns we hear about Thailand’s international decline are far from warranted and that it continues to play a constructive, widely-respected role in the region and beyond.
At the same time, relations with our partners from both East and West are moving in a very positive direction, which demonstrates that Thailand remains a very attractive player in Asia and the Pacific.