BANGKOK: When signing a vision statement with the US last month, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha quietly sat as Pentagon chief Mark Esper touted the commitment of an old ally at a time of "external coercion and intimidation” in Asia -- a clear reference to China.
Less than an hour later, Prayut -- a former army chief -- signed a similarly vague defence cooperation agreement with Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe while also pledging to support key Beijing policies like the Belt and Road Initiative to finance infrastructure investment around the globe.