Opinion – by Ken Mathis Lohatepanont

When Chinese President Xi Jinping stepped down from the plane that carried him from Bali to Bangkok for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, he was greeted by 2014 coup leader and current Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, and while Xi was mounting his aircraft back home, he was also sent off by Prayut.

 

In between, Xi had a busy schedule. He had a plenty of facetime with Prayut, with the prime minister on several occasions visibly bowing to the president. The pair had a bilateral meeting, where Xi hailed ties between China and Thailand as being “as close as one family.” 

 

Later, at a banquet hosted in their honor, Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan were serenaded by Chinese music liked by Peng, while the Thai hosts presented her with a birthday cake. For a pair whose private life is almost unknown, this was a rare personal moment in the public eye.

 

It was red carpet treatment, befitting the most important guest at APEC. Xi was in command of the show. Yes, some other leaders were also lavished with attention. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s guest appearance at APEC was particularly important to Prayut, for whom the restoration of ties with Saudi Arabia represents a key foreign policy achievement.

 

Source: https://www.thaienquirer.com/46025/opinion-apec-was-a-missed-opportunity-for-the-united-states-to-make-up-ground-in-thailand/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Enquirer 2022-11-21

 

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I sure US leaders will lose sleep over this oversight.

 

BTW, sarcasm filter ON.

Biden was at the G20 the week before - with Xi. A way more important forum than APEC.

 

Once also has to admire ThaiEnquirer's flexibility as to where it stands on China-Thailand relations:

 

"The 2014 coup leader who received his 1st approval for the 2014 coup against a democratically elected government from the Chinese government under Xi, seems to continue to be indebted to that stamp of approval and is willing to allow its head to be trampled upon as a payback. As they say, ‘payback is a bitch’ and as a Thai we all can see that with the way China is treating us today."

https://www.thaienquirer.com/45926/opinion-xis-statement-about-apec-steals-the-limelight-from-weakling-apec-host-prayut/

 

All that said, I'd like to see a photo of Xi "mounting his aircraft back home" ...

so the chef served up Chinese fried rice and kabsa ,

Tsingtao & camels milk for all the guests.

why would the USA want to make up ground with Thailand ? 

 

 

23 minutes ago, webfact said:

he was greeted by 2014 coup leader and current Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha

who would want to support this. 

It's hard to make up all the lost ground the US had created over the past 20+ years. Is there any way to get some Ronald Reagan DNA to clone from?

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Xi hailed ties between China and Thailand as being “as close as one family.” 

Bow to the Emperor! ????

Thailand - a "provisional" province of China.

As long as there is political instability, cq Government  controlled by the Army, and a special democracy as we could see last week again, the USA will be friends but keeping Thailand a bit on a distance.. Never knowing what will happen tomorrow.

So  amore missed opportunity for Thailand 

Edited November 21, 20223 yr by ikke1959

Did Kamala Harris screw up again?

All a waste of money. Deals are done over a phone.

The average American is willing to stop patrolling the worlds Oceans to make trade safe for everybody. Protect the Atlantic and the eastern portion of the Pacific. Trade with Thailand isn't all that important to the USA and no American mama wants the son or daughter to die protecting Thailand.

Prayut spent most of his time with the worst of the worst.

 

Would Biden showing up have made any difference?

2 hours ago, brucegoniners said:

Prayut spent most of his time with the worst of the worst.

 

Would Biden showing up have made any difference?

No Biden would have slept.

Well, the US priorities are defined very clearly: 
- Cambodia was systematically destroyed by Nixon and Kissinger 50 years back and none of them faced the music. Biden must have gotten the wrong briefing or missed in geography classes, that Cambodia and Colombia are two different countries pretty far from each other
- Thailand was definitely second choice as the granddaughter's wedding in the White House was given priority over APEC 2022

Go figure; the China man chuckled all the way over the US' handling of today's foreign policy - for sure! 

19 hours ago, HuskerDo2 said:

It's hard to make up all the lost ground the US had created over the past 20+ years. Is there any way to get some Ronald Reagan DNA to clone from?

I wish! Gaffmaster Joey doesn't even know what day it is let alone where he is. While in Phnom Penh, CAMBODIA he said he was in Columbia.

15 hours ago, PMinThailand said:

Did Kamala Harris screw up again?

If she opened her mouth and spoke then YES!

21 hours ago, Pib said:

Thailand - a "provisional" province of China.

"provisional" province

 

renegade province

 

Vassal State

 

Wholly-owned Subsiidiary

 

A rose by any other name....

 

According to Henry Kissinger, Bo Xilai, the jailed competitor to xi's President-for-Life demand, had a map of his wall of Greater China that included Taiwan (obviously) but also included all of Myanmar. I suspect the cartographers, working hard to produce 'ancient' and 'recently discovered' maps, just hadn't yet gotten around to including Thailand.

Edited November 21, 20223 yr by Walker88

22 hours ago, webfact said:

When Chinese President Xi Jinping stepped down from the plane that carried him from Bali to Bangkok for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, he was greeted by 2014 coup leader and current Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, and while Xi was mounting his aircraft back home, he was also sent off by Prayut.

 

The US is not going to go out of its way to make friendly with Cha Cha. He is simply not a serious man, and Thailand, while an ally and of some importance, is not quite the center of the universe they think it is. 

 

Fascinating how Cha Cha paid fealty to two dictators at one time. The organ harvesting, ethnic cleansing, intolerant and oppressive Xi, and the serial killing, woman hating, oppressive, no real reform on my watch MBS. Quite a show. 

Kamala Harris not only represented the US, but also freedom and democracy. 

I saw her in person and was about 5-6 meters from her when her motorcade slowed down. She looked straight at us, waved and smiled. Amazing moment.

Thanks for the visit Kamala.