Abstract
If one theme characterizes Thailand’s foreign policy, it is the ability to take advantage of the rivalries of larger powers. Skillfully avoiding occupation during various colonial enterprises, Thai foreign policy has cleverly sensed the prevailing winds and adapted accordingly. Thailand’s close relationship with China – arguably one of the closest in Southeast Asia – sits alongside an alliance relationship with the United States. But the re-emergence of substantial independence sentiment in Thailand’s southern provinces has now put Thai diplomacy to the test. Although there is no direct link, in a sense Thailand’s separatist problem parallels China’s own difficulties in Xinjiang. Thailand’s latest challenge, this time domestic, finds that country sharing something of a similar strategic outlook to China.
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