AP

US Defense Secretary Austin meets Thai leader to boost ties

Jun 12, 2022, 2:50 PM | Updated: Jun 13, 2022, 9:04 am

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, right, escorted by Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, ...

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, right, escorted by Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who is also Defense minister, after reviews an honor guard during a welcoming ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, June 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

(AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)


              U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, right, escorted by Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who is also the defense minister, reviews an honor guard during a welcoming ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, June 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
            
              U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, right, escorted by Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who is also the Defense minister, reviews an honor guard during a welcoming ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, June 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
            
              U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, left, escorted by Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who is also the Defense minister, listens to national anthems during a welcoming ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, June 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
            
              U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, right, escorted by Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who is also Defense minister, after reviews an honor guard during a welcoming ceremony at the Defense Ministry in Bangkok, Thailand, Monday, June 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

BANGKOK (AP) — U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with Thailand’s prime minister on Monday as part of an effort to strengthen what Austin says is Washington’s “unparalleled network of alliances and partnerships” in the region.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who is also defense minister, also met Austin last month in Washington. Thailand and the United States are longtime military allies, despite a cooling of relations after the 2014 military coup that brought former army commander Prayuth to power. Monday’s visit was Austin’s first to Thailand as defense secretary.

A U.S. Defense Department statement issued after the meeting said Austin and Prayuth “shared perspectives on regional security issues, and discussed opportunities to strengthen the U.S.-Thai alliance.”

It said Austin declared Washington’s interest in strengthening “interoperability between the U.S. and Thai forces and to support Thailand’s modernization requirements.”

The two men also discussed prioritizing cooperation in emerging technical areas, such as the cyber and space technology sectors, as well as Thailand’s desire for “enhanced defense industry cooperation,” the statement said.

Thai media had reported that Prayuth would likely discuss arms procurement with Austin, including of F-35 fighter aircraft, but Austin did not comment specifically on that in remarks to the media.

Tensions between the U.S. and China have been growing in part over Beijing’s claims to Taiwan and much of the South China Sea, and its increasing power and influence in the region.

In a speech Saturday at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue defense summit in Singapore, Austin said China’s “steady increase in provocative and destabilizing military activity near Taiwan” threatens to undermine the region’s security and prosperity.

He said he was proud that Washington’s “unparalleled network of alliances and partnerships has only deepened” in the past year.

China’s defense minister, Gen. Wei Fenghe, said at the same conference that the U.S. is trying to turn Southeast Asian countries against Beijing and is seeking to advance its own interests “under the guise of multilateralism.”

China over the past decade has been trying to extend its influence in Southeast Asia, both through aid and investment, including its “Belt and Road” infrastructure projects and use of its navy and other maritime resources to press its claims to vast areas of the South China Sea.

In a briefing in Bangkok, Austin said a conversation he had in Singapore with his Chinese counterpart was “an important step in our efforts to develop open lines of communication” with Beijing’s defense leaders.

“America never … shies away from honest competition, but we don’t seek conflict, nor do we seek a region that’s split into hostile blocks,” he said, according to a defense department transcript of his remarks. “It was an important opportunity to raise our concerns about the potential for instability in the Taiwan Strait and to underscore our … long-standing policy toward Taiwan as unwavering and unchanged.”

Thailand and the United States were close allies during the Vietnam War, and in 2003, Washington designated Thailand a major non-NATO ally, one of about 20 worldwide.

Such status means the U.S. regards Thailand as a strategic partner, and facilitates some aspects of military assistance and cooperation. The annual multinational Cobra Gold military exercise, one of the world’s biggest, is hosted in Thailand in partnership with the United States.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Image: A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after ...

Associated Press

Authorities identify 2 bodies recovered at site of Baltimore bridge collapse

A major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below.

19 hours ago

Photo: Mountaineer Jim Whittaker has died at 95....

Gene Johnson, The Associated Press

Lou Whittaker, among the most famous American mountaineers, has died at age 95

Lou Whittaker, a legendary American mountaineer who helped lead ascents of Mount Everest, K2 and Denali, has died at age 95.

19 hours ago

File photo: Former Sen. Joe Lieberman speaks in Washington on Jan. 18, 2024....

Associated Press

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP pick in 2000, dead at 82

Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in 2000, has died.

20 hours ago

islamic state attack...

Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press

What we know after the Islamic State group claims responsibility for Moscow massacre

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed at least 133 people.

4 days ago

Moscow shooting...

The Associated Press

Russia: 60 dead, 145 injured in concert hall raid; Islamic State group claims responsibility

Assailants burst into a concert hall in Moscow on Friday and sprayed the crowd with gunfire, killing over 60 people, injuring more than 100.

6 days ago

Photo: Britain's Kate, Duchess of Cambridge visits 282 (East Ham) Squadron, RAF Air Cadets, Cornwel...

Associated Press

Kate Middleton announces she has cancer, is undergoing chemotherapy

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, says she is undergoing chemotherapy to treat cancer. She has been out of view since Christmas.

6 days ago

US Defense Secretary Austin meets Thai leader to boost ties