Opposition MP Warns Over China’s Political Influence

Thailand’s main opposition People’s Party MP Sorasak Samonkraisorakit has warned that the country should avoid becoming politically subservient to China, arguing that Thailand must maintain a foreign policy based on the rule of law to safeguard its sovereignty and national security.

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Sorasak said Thailand should distinguish between cultural and commercial ties with Chinese people and political influence associated with the Chinese state. He raised concerns about China’s political model, alleged influence networks, regional arms supplies and the environmental impact of Chinese-linked mining activities in Myanmar and Laos.

Writing on Facebook, Sorasak said appreciating Chinese culture and commerce “does not mean Thailand should submit or become a politically subservient state in international affairs”. He argued that influential business networks linked to a centralised state power structure were expanding their reach through what he described as forms of hybrid warfare, while some members of Thailand’s elite and intellectual circles had openly praised China’s political system.

He urged Thai society to recognise what he described as hidden threats behind the rhetoric of friendship. Sorasak criticised praise for China’s political model, claiming it presented an unrealistic picture of governance and citing exiled Chinese scholar Chenggang Xu, who has argued that China’s apparent success is an “illusion” created through a United Front strategy using economic interests to influence intellectuals.

Sorasak also warned that adopting a political model that rejects the rule of law would undermine democratic principles and allow what he described as geocriminality and networks of grey Chinese capital to erode Thailand’s bureaucracy. He said the country needed a “geopolitical backbone” grounded in the rule of law to defend itself against external domination.

He further questioned China’s regional role, arguing that assurances over arms supplied to one of Thailand’s neighbouring countries were insufficient without internationally enforceable guarantees. Sorasak said China was simultaneously supplying weapons to a country involved in disputes with Thailand while presenting itself as a mediator for peace, which he claimed reflected an effort to shape regional security under its own influence.

The opposition MP also alleged that Chinese exploitation of natural resources in Myanmar and Laos had damaged the environment and affected communities downstream, including in Thailand. He criticised Chinese claims that more scientific evidence was needed despite studies by international organisations reporting pollution and toxic substances exceeding safety standards in the Kok and Mekong rivers.

Khaosod reported that Sorasak concluded that Thais could continue to embrace Chinese culture and conduct business with Chinese people while distinguishing ordinary citizens from political influence networks that he considers a hidden threat. He ended by quoting Confucius: “Listen to what a person says, but observe what they do.”

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13 July 2026

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