The above statement was reaffirmed by the Chinese Ambassador to Singapore, Wei Wei,
who stressed that China may be anxious to learn what has been going on in Thailand, but it
adhered to the principle of non-interference. He told this author, “These are Thailand’s internal
affairs.” The clash between the two approaches signifies a compelling rivalry between 3
the United States and China. Already, China’s non-interference approach has proven to be
effective in cementing its ties with Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar, and has now been met
with a favorable response from the Thai elite, who have insisted on handling their own internal
problems without outside pressure. The United States may be a strategic partner of
Thailand, but Washington’s hands-on approach has widened the gap in this partnership.
Meanwhile, China has quietly bid to capitalize on that gap, presenting itself as an impartial
power in the Thai conflict. The Asia Times reported, “One Chinese official, who spoke on condition
of anonymity, suggested that the United States had blundered by intervening so overtly in recent Thai
events and credited his embassy with taking a more nuanced approach to the crisis” (Crispin 2010).
Moreover, China has no pretense about promoting human rights and democracy.
Bangkok Post. 17.03. 2010. “UDD Submits Letter to US Embassy”. 2
In a private discussion with Chinese Ambassador to Singapore, Wei Wei, on 11 October 2010, Singapore. 3
3
Pavin Chachavalpongpun — Thailand in Sino-U.S. Rivalry
This firm posture has to a great extent guaranteed that China would not push for political
reforms in Thailand, nor it would criticize the Red Shirts’ pro-democracy agenda.