The Thai government yesterday agreed to purchase 10 tanks from China for $58 million (S$81 million), while Cambodia told a US Navy unit that its services were not needed, in one other sign that Southeast Asian countries are strengthening relations with Beijing.
The Thai military is replacing its American M41 fleet with Chinese VT-4 tanks as a part of a modernization of its equipment, three years after taking power from a civilian government.
The Southeast Asian country has already purchased 28 Chinese tanks and secured a submarine price about $380 million, and money is being looked for two more.
Yesterday, the federal government approved the acquisition of 10 more VT-4s for about 2 billion baht (S$81 million), Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan told reporters. “They are intended to replace the M41 tanks that we have been using since World War II,” he said.
China absorbed Thai defense spending. This raises questions on the dominion’s relationship with its oldest ally, the United States, whose policy towards Thailand and the remainder of Southeast Asia has been thrown into uncertainty by the rise of protectionist President Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, in Cambodia, the departure of a US Navy mobile construction battalion (Seabees) meant the cancellation of 20 planned projects, including in schools and hospitals, the US embassy said on Monday.
“Last week, the Royal Government of Cambodia notified the embassy of its decision to indefinitely postpone the Seabees program,” the embassy said.
Cambodia has gone further than other Southeast Asian countries in its courtship of China, and under President Trump, the shift away from Washington has continued despite Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s declared admiration for him.
Last 12 months, Beijing held joint naval exercises with Cambodia for the primary time. The Cambodian army has benefited from Chinese training and equipment, including jeeps, rocket launchers and helicopters.
Source: Agence France-Presse | Reuters | Times of the Strait
