Shawn crispin suggested that the united states and China have been pursuing two different approaches: whereas china practiced a more pragmatic diplomacy, the united states chose an interventionist approach that has occasionally irked the traditional elite in Bangkok. To protect the country’s autonomy as much as their own interests from the potential intervention of the united states in domestic politics, thai leader have moved closer to china. The idea is to counterbalance America’s dominant role. Nonetheless, thai leaders have been careful not to damage the country’s traditional status as a ‘permanent friend’ of the united states. Thus, they have been cautious not to be viewed as adopting an overtly hostile attitude toward the united states even when they disapproved of the American diplomatic style. This course highlighted a conventional thai strategy of engineering a foreign policy that is less reliant on one single power, which would restrain their diplomatic freedom.