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American Ally Moves To Replace US Tanks With New Chinese Models

REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

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Ryan Pickrell China/Asia Pacific Reporter
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Thailand is replacing outdated U.S. tanks with newer models from China.

The Thai cabinet approved Tuesday the Ministry of Defense’s plan to purchase ten Chinese VT-4 tanks for $58 million, reports the Bangkok Post. The latest purchase is the second of three.

The army previously purchased 28 VT-4 tanks, part of a larger plan to acquire a full battalion of 49 tanks, General Prawit Wongsuwon, both the defense minister and the deputy prime minister said in a statement.

“These tanks will replace the M41 tanks, which are small and old,” explained Major General Sansern Kaewkamnerd, a government spokesman. Thailand has been using U.S.-made M-41 light tanks for four decades.

The Thai cabinet approved the purchase of a Chinese submarine for $380 million in January, and the military is reportedly considering buying two more. “China will charge us [$522,000] for one submarine, but they agreed to give a discount to each [$348,000] if we buy three,” Gen. Prawit explained, further remarking, “So it will be more worthwhile to buy three for [$1 million] It’s a buy-two-get-one-free deal.”

“If we buy them from Western countries, it will be three times higher,” he added.

While cost is a factor, regional geopolitics are also in play.

“The reason why the Thai military government decides to buy the Chinese submarines and tanks is political,” Surachart Bamrungsuk, a defence specialist at Chulalongkorn University, explained to reporters. “The purchase reflects a ‘new strategic alliance policy’ that is moving closer to China.”

Thailand has moved closer to China since relations with the U.S. cooled after a 2014 coup. China was the first major power to recognize Thailand’s ruling junta after the coup. The U.S. responded by freezing millions of dollars in aid and cancelling certain security agreements. The rift created new opportunities for the Chinese to forge closer ties with Thailand.

Beijing is drawing more Asia-Pacific partners into its sphere of influence.

President Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines has let relations with the U.S. sour while reaching out to the Chinese for arms and other vital aid, and Cambodia has reportedly asked the U.S. Navy to leave as the country boosts ties to China.

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