John Drake

1 minute ago, snoop1130 said:

Unfavourable reports about expensive dining in the Banthat Thong area and poor hygiene in Yaowarat's street food offerings further dented Thailand’s reputation.

555. Chinese complaining about poor hygiene. How the tables have turned.

2 minutes ago, angryguy said:

Seems like it would be in thailands best interest to bend over backwards to the US in this situation but they are not as savvy as vietnam

Wasn't there an opinion poll recently that said 55 percent of Thais favored China over the US? Maybe they need to get their wish and find out what results from it. Thais have become complacent, thinking the US will always give way to placate them. That's why I say the US should invest and promote the Philippines, where the culture, language, and immigration ties support the connection.

3 minutes ago, Purdey said:

When a friend turns against you, perhaps the alternative to fighting is to ignore and look for new friends. Looking at the BRICS countries seems a rational strategy. Even though Trump said he will punish countries that try to replace the USA with BRICS (another friendly gesture). Certainly, less reliance on the dollar would open up markets to trade in more currencies.

Risk management professionals usually point out that putting too many eggs in one basket is dangerous.

Of course, it is Thailand that has aligned against the US and moved towards China. The fact is there is only one thing that Thailand produces that has a relatively high demand in the US. That is Hard Drives, HDDs. Everything else Thailand exports to the US could be more easily and in many cases more cheaply produced in countries closer to the US. HDDs could be limited too. Flashdrives already hold as much memory as HDDs did a few years ago. SSDs hold more. HDDs are dying market. A trade war with Thailand on China's side could finish off HDDs as a consumer item almost entirely. And Thailand would lose one of it major industries.

1 minute ago, spidermike007 said:

Well you must admit the incredibly arrogant Trump policies are driving a wedge between America and the world, and almost forcing people to switch sides. China is loving it, as American influence is quite dramatically on the wane, due to the huge orange numskull. 

True there has been absolutely zero finesse, no behind the scenes positioning and/or bargaining, and few incentives. Way too many threats and worse gloating over "wins" that were reversed into losses. It's textbook anti-diplomacy.

6 minutes ago, norsurin said:

China is now warning other Asian countries.If they make a deal with US they will have big problems with China.

Well..what is Thailand doing about that.?They have painted themselves in a corner already.

Which is why it's better for the US to partner with the Philippines over the likes of Vietnam who will buckle under to China. Malaysia has already said it's on China's side. Indonesia too.

13 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

My guess is that Thailand has been contacting the White House and they have been totally unprepared for negotiations, and have been putting Thailand off until they have some semblance of a cohesive strategy. Trump has no idea what he's doing from one day to the next and my guess is that he's quite senile at this point. If not senile, most certainly insane. 

In most cases I agree it would mostly be Trump's fault. He entered this tariff program without a plan, no strategic stockpiles, and constantly changing tariff targets. But Thailand changes PMs as often as Srettha changes his socks. Its government is and has been in chaos since the last election. Its entire focus has been integrating papa Shin back into the leadership. However bad Trump is on this issue, the Shins have been far worse.

3 minutes ago, thesetat said:

I doubt what you say is true. American has standards that must be met for products sent there. 

Also, Vietnam has their own arguments with China since China has added Vietnams seas to their maps claiming as theirs. 

You say I'm lying about American shoe manufacturing in Vietnam and how it will be costed out. Then, look at this: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/03/retailers-respond-to-trump-vietnam-trade-deal.html

As for China and Vietnam. China controls the Mekong and therefore controls Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

5 minutes ago, CallumWK said:

 

Lot of footwear, clothes and electronics are imported to the US from Vietnam.

 

If there is 20% tariff added to those, the importers are not gonna eat them.

 

Footwear and clothing is relative low cost, but we are talking here about millions of items, so it will make a significant dent in the profits of companies like Nike.

 

Electronics are not low cost items, so 20% added makes a difference, and the US consumer is gonna pay that.

Nike isn't alone is it? Aren't a lot of footwear companies in Vietnam? The tariffs, then, would cause the companies to absorb some of the costs, raise prices to US customers, and also find ways to save on production (cheaper quality). And again I expect Vietnam to gain at the expense of places like Thailand. A pity. I'd rather see the investment go to the Philippines, as in the end, Vietnam when pushed will side with China.

Just now, CallumWK said:

 

Why you not try to answer my comment?

 

Vietnam set 0% tariffs on US goods, and agreed to import more from the US, yet Trump still slapped a 20% tariff on imports from Vietnam.

 

Why would any country be willing to do a deal with trump the crook, when it is clear it is a one way street with him?

In the case of Vietnam, I'm guessing the American exports to Vietnam are not that much, while Vietnamese exports to the US are still low cost enough to compete even with the tariffs and can be expected to accelerate so much that Vietnam still stands to rake in a huge surplus. A surplus that is likely to come at the expense of Thailand. 

10 hours ago, webfact said:

The government is being urged to take swift action to restore confidence among Chinese tourists. “It’s quite slow now; half the year has passed,” noted Cheewarattanaporn. “The private sector cannot work in isolation; the government must step in.”

Translation: Moe! Larry! Do something! Flip switches, move levers, push buttons, turn dials!

The stated purpose of the party, to build a "centrist" alternative, doesn't make sense when Elon's main criticism of the Democrats and Republicans is that they're a "uniparty." A uniparty by definition contains the main aims and purposes of the parties. That is, it is centrist.

10 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Lots of countries have become dependent on decades of US largess.  It's going to take awhile to convince them the gravy train is over.  And many are going to scream like a baby that's been denied their ice cream cone.

 

You think this is sustainable?

 

 

A lot of Americans need to be shaken awake, too.  It's gonna suck, but the addiction to cheap stuff from overseas needs to be broken.   Best done by a guy in his second of 2 terms...  I'm as guilty as anybody, buying a 65" big screen because they've become affordable, when my 50" was perfectly adequate.  Keeping in mind I grew up when a 20" screen was considered a luxury.

 

What makes it even more astonishing is these same countries are attempting to undermine the US dollar as the reserve currency. A key reason for maintaining the trade deficit was the role of the dollar as the reserve currency. But countries like Thailand want to maintain their trade surplus as well as work to undermine the dollar. 

On 7/6/2025 at 8:00 AM, ChipButty said:

most 7/11's do have some kind of ramp at the entrance which helps, 

Cannot. That's where the dogs congregate to get the aircon

1a. Thailand

1b. Hawaii

Thailand gets the nod because I can walk safely (except for crossing the roads) and easily to most everything I need immediately within 1km to 4km. Easy to get a taxi off the street, too. And my neighbors leave me alone, and I don't have politics thrown in my face 24/7. Medical care is good. I have an inner ear problem whose medications cannot all be acquired in the US.

13 hours ago, Sir Dude said:

The US is probably rightly concerned about Thailand's relationship with China and the possiblility of the re-routing/origin washing of Chinese goods through Thailand. Thailand always sits on the fence and everyone knows it... probably the same reason the US won't sell advanced military equipment to Thailand either as it'll just end up in Beijing to be reversed engineered. 

I wonder how man Chinese manufactured goods come in to Thailand with the "Made in Thailand" label already attached?

9 hours ago, Tug said:

Well he just moved the trade deals deadline from July 9th to August 1th.guess nobody’s folding to donalds threats.

He can probably just keep extending the deadline until it gets to 2028

This should resonate with different meanings in Thailand and the US as far as Elon's H1B Party goes. 

This article says Thailand is promising to buy 80 more Boeing jets. P-R-O-M-I-S-I-N-G. Agree to buy while Trump is president. Extend the order date and cancel when Trump is gone. Any agreement has to be fixed with 50 percent down. https://stocktwits.com/news-articles/markets/equity/with-trump-tariff-clock-ticking-thailand-extends-more-concessions-to-us/chFthoRR5dk

16 minutes ago, DezLez said:

Why?

And, besides, the Philippines just bought 20 F-16s, while Thailand chose the Gripens. Want to trade with US? Then Thailand should buy things from the US.