US signs ‘strategic vision’ pact with Thailand

In show of commitment, US signs ‘strategic vision’ pact with Thailand

Army Chief of Staff General James McConville met with Thailand’s prime minister and its army chief on Friday, in the first high-level visit by a foreign delegation to Thailand since the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted international travel.

McConville met with Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and also Thai Army Chief Apirat Kongsompong and signed a Strategic Vision Statement, a US embassy statement said, as Washington looks to reassure allies about its commitment to the region.

The text of the statement was not released, but the embassy said McConville and Apirat “discussed modernisation, interoperability, joint training, and doctrine”.

The US has sought to counter China’s influence in Southeast Asia, most recently by sending two aircraft carriers to the South China Sea while the Chinese military conducted drills near islands that are also claimed by Vietnam.