US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, met with Thailand’s Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, and Foreign Affairs Minister, Don Pramudwinai, on Sunday, as part of his Southeast Asia tour.
Prime Minister Prayut said that he is pleased that close bilateral relations with the United States continue, especially as next year will mark the 190th anniversary of their diplomatic ties. He also said that it is important now to push cooperation, not only between Thailand and the United States but also with ASEAN member countries, in areas such as public health and climate change.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) meets with Thailands Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha (R) at the Government House in Bangkok on July 10, 2022. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds / POOL / AFP)
Blinken said that the United States is committed to ASEAN centrality and to their own partnership with the region. He also said that he appreciates Thailand’s leadership of APEC, during which a summit will take place in November, and that Thailand is an original member of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.
Blinken further stated that this is a very important opportunity for the United States to help shape the economy going forward, in ways that will benefit people both in Thailand and the United States.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and Thailand’s Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai participate in a Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony at the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok on July 10, 2022. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds / POOL / AFP)
Earlier, Blinken met with Foreign Affairs Minister Don Pramudwinai, when they attended the signing of the Thai-U.S. Communiqué on Strategic Alliance and Partnership and the Memorandum of Understanding to Promote Supply Chain Resilience.
Blinken flew into Bangkok last night for his first official visit to Thailand, following the G20 leaders’ summit in Bali, Indonesia. He will be visiting Tokyo on Monday to offercondolences to the Japanese people, in light of the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe.
Blinken’s visit came after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Thailand last week, as part of his tour of Southeast Asia, which includes Myanmar, Thailand, the Lao PDR, Cambodia and Vietnam. Such moves by two global-superpowers are an apparent bid to exert and counterbalance their influences in the ASEAN region.
