As China circles, US-Thai military friendship stumbles

Charge d'affaires Embassy of the United States in Thailand, W. Patrick Murphy (centre, left) and Thai Deputy Supreme Commander, Wuttinun Leelayudth (centre, right) pose for photos during the opening ceremony of the joint military exercise Cobra Gold 2015 at Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School in Nakhon Nayok province, Thailand. -EPA

BANGKOK: Perturbed by Thailand’s coup, the United States has scaled back a showpiece joint military exercise with its Southeast Asian ally, but analysts say that with China circling for influence, Washington will not push the kingdom’s generals too far.

Famed for its jungle bonding sessions where US and Thai soldiers down snake blood, the annual “Cobra Gold” event is the crown jewel of Thailand’s decades-long strategic alliance with the US.