Srettha warns of military conflict over rising South China Sea disputes with Beijing including Taiwan

[webfact]

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin enjoyed a successful visit to the ASEAN Japan Summit in Tokyo over the weekend. However, on Sunday, he warned that military conflict could erupt with China over contentious issues, including the South China Sea and Taiwan. He pointed out the danger to world trade and the safety of 60,000 Thai nationals on the island.

PM Srettha warns of military conflict at the Asean-Japan Summit on Sunday. Thailand maintains its delicate balancing act while forging closer ties with Japan as South China Sea disputes escalate.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavin appeared uncomfortable on Sunday when the Asean-Japan Summit discussed the South China Sea issue. The thorny problem is gradually coming to the fore at regional discussions at Indo-Pacific gatherings. The Thai PM appealed for care and caution and warned against potential hostilities. 

The recently concluded Asean-Japan Summit saw Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin walk a diplomatic tightrope. While emphasising successful engagement and close ties with Japan and being forced to at least address escalating conflicts over South China Sea disputes. The issue arose for discussion in Tokyo on Sunday.

 

At length, the summit served as a stark reminder for Thailand. That its neutral stance in an increasingly divided world between China and the United States faces challenges.

 

by James Morris and Son Nguyen

 

Full story: Thai Examiner.com 2023-12-19

 

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[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The Thai PM appealed for care and caution and warned against potential hostilities.

Don't rock the boat or we're sunk.

[daveAustin]

Guaranteed Thailand would find itself on the ‘right’ side if any spat were to erupt. 

[ThaiFelix]

Load of bull<deleted> mate, sounds like youve contracted the ol USA paranoia blues.  What are you trying to distract us from?  

[newbee2022]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin enjoyed a successful visit to the ASEAN Japan Summit in Tokyo over the weekend. However, on Sunday, he warned that military conflict could erupt with China over contentious issues, including the South China Sea and Taiwan. He pointed out the danger to world trade and the safety of 60,000 Thai nationals on the island.

PM Srettha warns of military conflict at the Asean-Japan Summit on Sunday. Thailand maintains its delicate balancing act while forging closer ties with Japan as South China Sea disputes escalate.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavin appeared uncomfortable on Sunday when the Asean-Japan Summit discussed the South China Sea issue. The thorny problem is gradually coming to the fore at regional discussions at Indo-Pacific gatherings. The Thai PM appealed for care and caution and warned against potential hostilities. 

The recently concluded Asean-Japan Summit saw Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin walk a diplomatic tightrope. While emphasising successful engagement and close ties with Japan and being forced to at least address escalating conflicts over South China Sea disputes. The issue arose for discussion in Tokyo on Sunday.

 

At length, the summit served as a stark reminder for Thailand. That its neutral stance in an increasingly divided world between China and the United States faces challenges.

 

by James Morris and Son Nguyen

 

Full story: Thai Examiner.com 2023-12-19

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe

 

[newbee2022]

With such nice and big friends in the North it will be a problem to be neutral. And probably there will be pressure by US and EU, to which side Thailand should be neutral🥴

[GammaGlobulin]

It has always been a question of WHEN....

Not IF.

[Srikcir]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand maintains its delicate balancing act while forging closer ties with Japan as South China Sea disputes escalate.

It wasn't a balance by former PM Prayut who sided with China's rejection to the judgment by an international tribunal in The Hague permanent court of arbitration that in the South China Sea  (July 2016, theguardian.com )

• rocky outcrops claimed by China - some of which are exposed only at low tide – cannot be used as the basis of territorial claims.
• some of the waters were “within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines, because those areas are not overlapped by any possible entitlement of China”.
• China had violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights in those waters by interfering with its fishing and petroleum exploration and by constructing artificial islands.

Does Srettha support Prayut's decision while he campaigns Pacific rim nations like Japan for closer trade relations? What is Srettha's position regarding the Kuril Islands dispute between Japan and Russia over the ownership of the four southernmost Kuril Islands? 

His warning is about as poignant as warning of climate change and increasing air pollution in Thailand. 

[JMT42]

Thailand likes to go with the winner. Till it is clear whether the US or China comes out on top they are staying on the fence. In WWII it looked like the nippers were winning so they went with them cost them two provinces Kedah and Kelantan.

[nobodysfriend]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

he warned that military conflict could erupt with China over contentious issues, including the South China Sea and Taiwan.

No worries , Thailand will have a china made submarine without engine to fight off the chinese invaders ... ( joke )

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

At length, the summit served as a stark reminder for Thailand. That its neutral stance in an increasingly divided world between China and the United States faces challenges.

 

Not Thailand's war .

Stay neutral is best .

Ok , difficult for the PM to please everybody on either side ...

That is what he is trying to do , but it requires diplomacy not to offend anybody ...

Is he a diplomat ?

 

[herfiehandbag]

The last few years have seen them hitching themselves to the Chinese star without taking China's fundamental economic troubles (weakness) into account. They turned away from longer term political, military and trading allies/partners in favour of China, blinded by what they saw as the chance to ride on the coat tails of the perceived Chinese economic success, international influence and military strength; and in the hope of generous infrastructure deals.

 

Now it appears that China's economic woes are perhaps insurmountable, it's wielding of "international influence" is poisoning relations in the region, and beyond, and there are questions about their actual military strength.

 

No wonder Prime Minister Srettha Thavin appeared uncomfortable on Sunday when the Asean-Japan Summit discussed the South China Sea issue.

 

The tourists haven't come, and the submarine has no engine. Any real movement on infrastructure? An apt metaphor for the results of Thailand's policy!

 

All in all it is a bit of a pickle isn't it?

[bamnutsak]

50 minutes ago, nobodysfriend said:

That is what he is trying to do

 

Playing at being the leader of a country.

 

I can never figure out if he is clueless, ignorant, or both.

 

Who exactly is he "warning"?

 

51 minutes ago, nobodysfriend said:

Is he a diplomat ?

 

Clearly not.

[BayArea]

Hey Thailand,  you need to get off the fence and actually play an active role in the region if you want peace and prosperity.  Kissing China's behind is not a sound strategy!

[spidermike007]

No doubt Thailand is playing a very dangerous game, trying to stay neutral while spending billions on Chinese warships and becoming completely dependent on China for supplies, maintenance, technology, and perhaps expertise too.

 

The entire South China Sea claim is completely bogus, China has absolutely no rights to any of that area, this is just a fiction that they've created in order to begin their aggression towards other nations in the region. China is a major bully. I suspect this is only going to escalate in the future and every nation has to push back against the heinous CCP, to whatever extent they can. Sretta, Prayuth and Thailand are attempting to maintain neutrality. However, Prayuth the coward showed his true colors with the Hague decision. 

 

Five years ago on this day, an international tribunal in a landmark ruling dismissed Beijing’s claim to much of the South China Sea. The Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague said on 12 July 2016 that there was no evidence that China had exercised exclusive control historically over the key waterway.

 

Clearly the verdict has had little impact on China’s behaviour as its land reclamation and creeping militarisation continues unabated, while its vessels regularly intrude into Filipino waters.

 

https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/whatever-happened-south-china-sea-ruling

 

 

[nausea]

Echoing a famous quote about another conflict, I'm guessing China has "escalatory dominance" where Taiwan is concerned; Thailand would be well advised to distance itself from that particular conflict. 

[traveller101]

From the article: "Srettha pointed out the danger to World Trade and the safety of 60000 Thai Nationals on the island" (Taiwan).

Let me get this straight - in the event of a major regional military conflict erupting - presumably starting with an  invasion of Taiwan - Srettha's main concern is related to $$$$$ followed by safety concerns of Thais living in Taiwan. Never mind the 25 Million Taiwanese living there and general loss of life in the region due to warfare.

This statement might be somewhat understandable in the context of addressing a domestic audience.

Certainly way of the mark on the international stage in front of his peers at the ASEAN Japan summit.

 

 

[Photoguy21]

5 hours ago, newbee2022 said:

With such nice and big friends in the North it will be a problem to be neutral. And probably there will be pressure by US and EU, to which side Thailand should be neutral🥴

They will stay neutral same as WW2

[herfiehandbag]

52 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

They will stay neutral same as WW2

They weren't really neutral in WW2.

They declared for the Axis (more particularly for Japan). That they were utterly ineffective is not the point, if Japan had won, as they thought it would when they went in, they would have been strutting the stage big time!

[bamnutsak]

I'm waiting for Srettha to issue warnings about North Korea lobbing missiles toward Japan.

 

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

6 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

Not Thailand's war .

Stay neutral is best .

 

Exactly what they thought prior to Japanese invasion in 1941.

[Mr Meeseeks]

2 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

They will stay neutral same as WW2

 

Thailand declared war on the Allies and became an Axis power on 25th December 1941.

[Mr Meeseeks]

There is a possibility of imminent Japanese invasion of your country. If you are attacked, defend yourselves. The preservation of the true independence and sovereignty of Thailand is a British interest, and we shall regard an attack on you as an attack upon ourselves.

 

— Prime Minister Winston Churchill's message to Field Marshal Phibun Songkhram.

[Photoguy21]

On 12/19/2023 at 1:03 PM, herfiehandbag said:

They weren't really neutral in WW2.

They declared for the Axis (more particularly for Japan). That they were utterly ineffective is not the point, if Japan had won, as they thought it would when they went in, they would have been strutting the stage big time!

They never got engaged

[Photoguy21]

On 12/19/2023 at 2:22 PM, Mr Meeseeks said:

 

Thailand declared war on the Allies and became an Axis power on 25th December 1941.

And stood back and let Japan take over

[Cabradelmar]

China is bullying every country with maritime claims in the South and East China Seas... PI, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Korea, Japan... And any country that is not overtly opposed to China's bullying is an enabler (see Thailand). Fc_k China!

[Barnet1900]

On 12/19/2023 at 1:03 PM, herfiehandbag said:

They weren't really neutral in WW2.

They declared for the Axis (more particularly for Japan). That they were utterly ineffective is not the point, if Japan had won, as they thought it would when they went in, they would have been strutting the stage big time!

Bang on the money. They backed the wrong side and jumped ship before it sank.

 

Saying that, like now, most natives haven't a clue as to what the consequences are. They follow like sheep.

 

In all honesty, no major country in the world cares what Thailand think as they aren't taken seriously. They pose no threat to anybody and offer nothing on a global scale. They're a tourist destination or retirement option at best. They deserve a say in affairs but probably speak at the time most leaders went for a fag break.

[Schnicnac]

14 hours ago, Cabradelmar said:

China is bullying every country with maritime claims in the South and East China Seas... PI, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Korea, Japan... And any country that is not overtly opposed to China's bullying is an enabler (see Thailand). Fc_k China!

 

That description actually reminds me of another country situated just across the Pacific...but it wraps it's bullying more nicely like a Christmas gift :)

[Pouatchee]

On 12/19/2023 at 8:04 AM, herfiehandbag said:

Now it appears that China's economic woes are perhaps insurmountable, it's wielding of "international influence" is poisoning relations in the region, and beyond, and there are questions about their actual military strength

 

I do not doubt chinas military strength for a nano second. The worst thing any military/enemy force can do is just that... underestimate their military and resolve. They have the tech, the natural resources and the labor force. They also have nukes. That alone reminds me of the 80s when all were afraid of the nuclear holocaust.

 

How many minutes to midnight on the doomsday clock? 1984... 3 minutes til midnight

 

On January 24, 2023, the Clock was moved to 90 seconds (1 minute, 30 seconds) before midnight, meaning that the Clock's current setting is the closest it has ever been to midnight since its inception in 1947.