What in the world, does the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York City have to do with the topic of a news article about a military exercise in Thailand?

Talk about going off topic....

The conspiracy theorists do something similar in just about every thread concerning the US.

in the past, Thailand relied on USA for military protection due to neighboring threats. Now that China is now rising, Thailand has much to benefit by aligning itself with China.

in the past, Thailand relied on USA for military protection due to neighboring threats. Now that China is now rising, Thailand has much to benefit by aligning itself with China.

Care to reconsider that assertion?

Perhaps you are unaware of China's territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

in the past, Thailand relied on USA for military protection due to neighboring threats. Now that China is now rising, Thailand has much to benefit by aligning itself with China.

Care to reconsider that assertion?

Perhaps you are unaware of China's territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Thailand has no territorial disputes with China. Are you aware?

in the past, Thailand relied on USA for military protection due to neighboring threats. Now that China is now rising, Thailand has much to benefit by aligning itself with China.

Care to reconsider that assertion?

Perhaps you are unaware of China's territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Thailand has no territorial disputes with China. Are you aware?

I am very aware. I am also aware of China's issues with ASEAN nations in the East and South China Sea.

If you think that ASEAN nations look to China as more than a counterweight to ensure no other countries pressure the region ( and as a trading partner) you are mistaken.

I am very aware. I am also aware of China's issues with ASEAN nations in the East and South China Sea.

If you think that ASEAN nations look to China as more than a counterweight to ensure no other countries pressure the region ( and as a trading partner) you are mistaken.

i gotta correct you on that.

There is NO dispute between ASEAN nations and China in both East and South China Sea. Only Vietnam and Philippines have disputes with China but that's in South China Sea only. Please be clear on this.

And secondly, relationship between ASEAN nations and China is far more historical than with USA. China's relationship with Thailand, for example, stretches back more than 300 years, way before USA's independence. Instead of China being a counterweight, I prefer to see China as filling up the power vacuum in ASEAN due to US's declining influence (Obama even missed the APEC summit in Bali 2 yrs ago due to fiscal cliff issue back home).

LOL

The East and South China Seas are the scene of escalating territorial disputes between China and its neighbors, including Japan, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The tensions, shaped by China's growing assertiveness, have fueled concerns over armed conflict and raised questions about Washington's security commitments in its strategic rebalance toward the Asia-Pacific region.

Source http://www.cfr.org/asia-and-pacific/chinas-maritime-disputes/p31345#!/?cid=otr-marketing_use-china_sea_InfoGuide

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), the most prestigious international financial institution in the world, has rated China's ranking to number one economic superpower in the world -- surpassing those of the United States based upon the purchasing power parity of GDP indicator (gross domestic product). IMF has asserted that China produced 17% of the world gross domestic product (GDP) in 2014 exceeding U.SA's GDP of world's 16% (1). China's economic growth performance over the last 30 years has impressed development economists who took the position that China will remain in the low/middle income group of nations permanently due to its very large population -- approximately 1.2+ billion in 2015.

Through out human history empires have grown and empires have collapsed, the next big boy on the block is China, the US "empire" is in its twilight years and will like so many empires in history it will collapse eventually

Nuke China before its too late!

Can ask obama this question? or maybe till the next next president.

You will find quotes from ASEAN leadership as well as President Obama in the link I provided above.