3 hours ago, jaideedave said:

Uncle Tu is getting pretty cozy this Zi...wasn't there a USN just a carrier group visiting here recently? interesting 

In theory Uncle Tu has been emphatically rejected at the polls, and he and his government are standing down.

 

In practice of these sort of announcements indicate otherwise.

 

Mind you, if they do stay on, they might be too busy with "internal security operations" to be able to spend any time on field training exercises with the Chinese.

 

There again, a Chinese military presence in Thailand, however it is billed and for whatever the purpose, would add an interesting perspective to things!

Mr Pita may have other plans..........????

This will backfire much sooner than these gladhanding goons think. 

This is a huge mistake!

 

Good way to alienate the US and all the NATO countries.

Considering the "current" government is only in caretaker mode, whatever comes out of there little minds/big mouths, is BS.

If I was Thailand, I wouldn't trust China, and if I was China, I wouldn't trust Thailand. Both countries' leaderships are as untrustworthy as they come. 

8 hours ago, JoePai said:

And that boys and girls is why the US will not sell the F-35 to Thailand 

I doubt that Thailand cares. The F-35 is horrendously expensive, and China and Russia also make decent warplanes these days. America's days of hegemony are over.

8 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

By threatening to invade the sovereign country of Taiwan?  

 

I don't think so!

?? which sovereign country? only the below 12 former 13 "countries" recognised taiwans sovereignty 

Belize,

Guatemala, 

Haiti,

Vatican City, 

Honduras (not anymore since early 2023)
Marshall Islands 
Nauru   
Palau    
Paraguay    
Saint Kitts and Nevis   
Saint Lucia    
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines   
Tuvalu

 

all other do not and officially stand to the one china policy

also taiwan is not officially a "country"

 

just the facts regardless of geopolitics and opinions

59 minutes ago, Mark17AA said:

Stability and China in the same sentence, how does that work ?

Very well of course. In the same way Freedom and North Korea works (ask Kim Yong-Un) or Democracy and ..... ah, nah....

All depends on your viewing angle.

5 minutes ago, Caldera said:

If I was Thailand, I wouldn't trust China, and if I was China, I wouldn't trust Thailand. Both countries' leaderships are as untrustworthy as they come. 

Ask any Afghan who fought the Taliban how trustworthy America is. The fact is that all countries put their own interests first. 

2 minutes ago, Zapitapi said:

?? which sovereign country? only the below 12 former 13 "countries" recognised taiwans sovereignty 

Belize,

Guatemala, 

Haiti,

Vatican City, 

Honduras (not anymore since early 2023)
Marshall Islands 
Nauru   
Palau    
Paraguay    
Saint Kitts and Nevis   
Saint Lucia    
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines   
Tuvalu

 

all other do not and officially stand to the one china policy

also taiwan is not officially a "country"

 

just the facts regardless of geopolitics and opinions

That's what people forget. The entire world refused to acknowledge Taiwan's sovereignty, but at the same time rush to defend it by supplying arms. Could this be about protecting markets for weapons?

5 hours ago, kwan said:

Brothers in  Arms !

Noodles in bowls more like.

current soldiers more in line with the popular vote and the people and will not turn on their own.

thus import other soldiers who will be soldiers with no feelings towards it all and keep the local soldiers on task as well since their will be threats against mutiny that could be enforced then.

Chess moves to stay in power.

 

Thats my 2 second severely ill informed take.

3 minutes ago, sidneybear said:

That's what people forget. The entire world refused to acknowledge Taiwan's sovereignty, but at the same time rush to defend it by supplying arms. Could this be about protecting markets for weapons?

And the world turned a blind eye when China devoured Tibet, killed millions and nearly a whole very precious culture. And China erects small islands in the South ChIna Sea to be able to claim sovereignty of the waters surrounding them according to international laws of what may be regarded as "your waters". I see a pattern emerging here - especially in view of Chinas history. Same like Putin with the small difference that the Russian guy seems to be not the smartest while Xi is. Start to learn Chinese folks. You or at least your decendends will need it.

 

And as someone said before - all nations look first after themselves. But to explain somewhat warped politics all the time with the weapons business - for sure to some extend, but there must be more to it. If it were not so complicated then there would be much less problems.

I feel this might be like the UK/US relationship, you know US "JUMP" UK "HOW HIGH". I'll let you work pout who says "JUMP"

Just rename the place Chialand and be done with it. Nobody gives a toss anyway 

I see a big Operation Petticoat hilariously trying to claim the South Chinese Sea. With the 3 extra Thai diesel-subs not much to worry about for the US and the West ...

47 minutes ago, sidneybear said:

That's what people forget. The entire world refused to acknowledge Taiwan's sovereignty, but at the same time rush to defend it by supplying arms. Could this be about protecting markets for weapons?

way more likely than defending illusory democracy

3 hours ago, MikeandDow said:

what has this got to do with the topic

In regard to why they will work with China and the West.

When the fox is talking about peace, then the farmer should watch over his chicken.

Look at Tibet, Hong Kong, Taiwan.  The constant international pressure and tricks, used by China.

Is that not enough to convince people that they should really be more than careful and prepare for a global future that does not look bright at all.

10 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

By threatening to invade the sovereign country of Taiwan?  

 

I don't think so!

That's not the way they see it. China sees Taiwan as a break away Chinese province. All companies and countries doing business with China see it that way too, as the USA said, One China, two systems, so America doesn't regard China's claim as baseless. Uncle Sam will always support the weak and democracy, unless economics muddy the situation or oil or the people vote for a left wing democratic government then they become pragmatic and let the CIA lose.

53 minutes ago, Purdey said:

In regard to why they will work with China and the West.

can you not read

11 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

By threatening to invade the sovereign country of Taiwan?  

 

I don't think so!

Taiwan is not a sovereign country, whether you say that lie once or hundred times.  Most of the UN members recognise only one China including all the western countries. There are a handful of countries recognising Taiwan as independent state, and that recognition was funded by Taiwan. However it appears that recently the Chinese have more cash, so even these countries are jumping ship.

 

This is how a major war will start in Asia, the Chinese will be goaded on attacking Taiwan by a certain country all of a sudden saying that things have changed and now there are two China states.

 

2 hours ago, moogradod said:

And the world turned a blind eye when China devoured Tibet, killed millions and nearly a whole very precious culture. And China erects small islands in the South ChIna Sea to be able to claim sovereignty of the waters surrounding them according to international laws of what may be regarded as "your waters". I see a pattern emerging here - especially in view of Chinas history. Same like Putin with the small difference that the Russian guy seems to be not the smartest while Xi is. Start to learn Chinese folks. You or at least your decendends will need it.

 

And as someone said before - all nations look first after themselves. But to explain somewhat warped politics all the time with the weapons business - for sure to some extend, but there must be more to it. If it were not so complicated then there would be much less problems.

If the Chinese killed every single Tibetan they would have killed 1.23 million people, the whole Tibet population in 1959. Definitely not millions.

 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12321528/

 

Whatever the Chinese did was not right, but that massive inflation of numbers doesn't help but erode the Tibetan cause.

7 hours ago, ThaiFelix said:

The original was "With friends like the USA..................................................." as was coined during WW2.  My father served alongside yanks during that war and he would often give me the same warning when I was a child.  Try to be original if you are going to invent stuff!

Oddly enough I did not claim to invent it, nor did I claim that my father had told me the same thing when I was a child.

 

I am sure that if you search the internet you will find quite a few example of similar wording, yet nobody seems to claim that they invented it.

Note that this statement came from China's Li and not from any Thai official. They could be spinning this to their benefit. Meanwhile you can expect Western countries to have a very terse and firm response should this take place. Obviously what we have here is Thai government cozying up to China because of tourism.

3 hours ago, Dart12 said:

current soldiers more in line with the popular vote and the people and will not turn on their own.

thus import other soldiers who will be soldiers with no feelings towards it all and keep the local soldiers on task as well since their will be threats against mutiny that could be enforced then.

Chess moves to stay in power.

 

Thats my 2 second severely ill informed take.

Hmm, well, it is not, perhaps, entirely far fetched that it may be considered, for example, that "regional stability" could be ensured by garrisoning Suvarnabhumi Airport, and the major access routes to it...

8 hours ago, johnc925 said:

This is a huge mistake, we just got done with US military exercises several months ago... it seems Thailand is going to have to make a choice sooner or later who they side with... and if it's China I know I'll be departing.

Bye. Don’t let the door…

8 hours ago, heybruce said:

When the Philippine government learned what "friendship" with China was like it decided it liked the US better.

Philippine government ie Ferdinand Marcos Jr. You do know that his father was one of the most corrupt presidents of all time and that his mother possessed over 6,000 pairs of expensive shoes while it’s citizens were eating scraps of leftover KFC?

7 hours ago, cardinalblue said:

So G are you saying Taiwan is giving up their democracy and fall under the dictatorship rule of China?

 

Damn right the US wants Taiwan to retain their freedoms something you might know nothing about…

 

 

 

 

Are you a Chinese? You do realise that the Taiwanese are actually Chinese right? If not, who are you to think that you know what they want? Oh wait, you’re probably American, thinking you know best.