BANGKOK: Thailand plans to warn the Trump administration that steep US tariffs could force it to scale back military cooperation, including the Cobra Gold exercises that anchor one of America’s oldest security alliances in Asia, according to an official familiar with the matter.
The Thai government intends to include the position in a counterproposal as reciprocal-trade negotiations resume later this month, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the discussions are private. While the provision will be broadly worded, Thailand could reconsider its participation in joint military activities if higher tariffs inflict significant economic damage, the official said.
Thailand, which recorded a US$51.4 billion trade surplus with the US last year, is among dozens of nations seeking better trade terms after Washington imposed a 12.5 per cent tariff on most exports under Section 301, a US trade law used to address what it considers unfair trading practices.
As the Trump administration expands investigations into manufacturing overcapacity, Bangkok has offered to eliminate tariffs and adopt US standards for imports of beef, lamb and alcoholic beverages.
The proposal would mark a rare attempt by Thailand to invoke its decades-old security partnership with Washington in negotiations otherwise focused on trade. Thailand is one of only two US treaty allies in South-East Asia, alongside the Philippines, and the alliance has long underpinned American military engagement in mainland SouthEast Asia.
Defence Ministry spokesman Surasant Kongsiri said he was unable to verify or confirm the proposal. "If anything, negotiations are more likely to focus on enhancing cooperation,” he said.
The spokesman for Thailand’s armed forces didn’t respond to a call seeking comments. The Thai Commerce Ministry and the Pentagon didn’t immediately respond to separate emailed requests for comment.
Thai officials have increasingly highlighted the broader relationship in arguing for better trade terms. Commerce Minister Suphajee Suthumpun last month said Thailand deserved more favourable treatment because of the countries’ strategic alliance, the Treaty of Amity and Thai investment in the US.
She described the negotiations as a whole-of-government effort involving the foreign and defense ministries as well as business groups. The government is seeking to keep the tariff rate at no higher than the 19 per cent discussed under an earlier framework.
Thailand has also pledged to accelerate legislation banning imports of goods made with forced labour in an effort to address US concerns.
The Thai-US alliance is one of Washington’s oldest in Asia and has long provided the US military with a strategic foothold in a region where China has expanded its influence.
Thailand and the US co-host Cobra Gold, a military exercise the US describes as the largest annual multinational drill of its sort in mainland Asia. Last year’s exercise drew about 8,000 personnel from 30 countries.
The two countries’ military cooperation has weathered political tensions before. Washington scaled back Cobra Gold and suspended several military engagements after Thailand’s 2014 coup before gradually rebuilding defence ties.
The Pentagon has publicly emphasized the strength of the alliance. During a visit to Bangkok last week, Undersecretary of Defense Elbridge Colby said he and Thai Permanent Secretary for Defense General Tharapong Malakam had reaffirmed "the renewed strength of the US-Thai alliance.” - Bloomberg
