China had made many positive actions in Asia since establishing diplomatic relations with Thailand and other countries in the 1970s. As such, Chinese influence in the region had significantly grown. In contrast, the US government had since the end of the Cold War lagged in engaging Southeast Asia. For example, the focus of US military engagement had shifted to other regions, while China had made significant strides in gaining influence. Nathapol said both US "soft" and "hard" power had diminished, including losses in economic, political, and cultural power.
There was universal praise for Secretary Clinton's ARF-related visit to Thailand in late July 2009, including US accession to the Southeast Asian Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) and the holding of a US-Lower Mekong Ministerial that underscored Secretary Clinton's comment that: "The US is back in Asia." During a visit to Asia in April 2014, President Barack Obama sought to reassure allies that his long-promised strategic shift towards Asia and the Pacific, widely seen as aimed at countering China's rising influence, was real.
Thailand continues to develop closer relations with China. The Thai military employs a range of Chinese weapons systems, and Thai and Chinese special forces have in recent years conducted joint exercises. China has worked actively to cultivate ties with the Thai parliament; Thai legislators frequently traveled to China, while the number of Thai MPs traveling to the US had declined.