Prayut has a duty to stand up to China

[webfact]

Prayut has a duty to stand up to China

By The Nation

 

 

As the representative of Asean interests at this week’s Belt and Road Forum, PM must push for fairer deals 

 

China’s global ambitions face an acid test this week as world leaders gather for the second Belt and Road Forum. Six years after its launch, China’s grand loans-and-infrastructure strategy is faltering amid reports of participant countries falling into a debt trap and problems with mega-project management.

 

At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will arrive in Beijing on Thursday for three days of discussion on the Belt and Road Initiative.

 

Joining him will be 37 heads of state, among them the presidents of Chile, Mongolia, Nepal, Portugal and Switzerland. Meanwhile France, Germany, the UK, Spain, Japan, South Korea and the EU are sending high-level representatives, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry.

 

The forum will end with a joint communique that reflects the direction the BRI scheme will take going forward, including transport connectivity and concerns over the environment and sustainable development.

 

Initiated by President Xi, the BRI scheme was launched in 2013 to forge economic routes via land and sea that will link China with the rest of Asia, Europe and Africa.

 

Six years’ later, the BRI has become the core of Chinese foreign policy and is deeply linked to Xi’s fate as president. China reports that 126 countries and 29 international organisations have signed on to join the scheme.

 

Total trade volume between China and participating countries has surpassed US$6 trillion, while investment has exceeded $80 billion and the 82 cooperation parks built by China and partner countries have created nearly 300,000 jobs, according to Beijing.

 

Yet China’s assertion that the BRI is a high-standard platform for cooperation is being eroded by growing claims that the scheme represents a debt trap.

 

A recent Centre for Global Development report found eight BRI recipient countries – Djibouti, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, the Maldives, Mongolia, Montenegro, Pakistan and Tajikistan – are at a high risk of debt distress from BRI loans. These countries all face debt-to-GDP ratios beyond 50 per cent, with at least 40 per cent of their external debts owed to China once BRI lending is complete.

 

Asean countries also face BRI debt burdens, but it is project management that is of greater concern for many countries in our region. Thailand will on Thursday sign an MoU with Laos and China to build a high-speed rail line between Nong Khai and Vientiane. Construction of the link from China’s border to Vientiane will likely go smoothly but the project has hit the buffers in Thailand, where only 3.5 kilometres of high-speed track is being built as a trial run.

 

Elsewhere, a project to blast navigable channels in the Mekong River running through Laos to the Thai border has been put on hold amid environmental concerns and local resistance. Mekong countries, including China, have yet to agree whether and how the project will go ahead.

 

Farther south, the new government in Kuala Lumpur has adopted a more flexible strategy in dealing with China and the BRI. Malaysia announced last week that its BRI rail line project shelved since last July would now go ahead after renegotiation with the Chinese. 

 

Meanwhile Laos has remained tight-lipped over its BRI debts. In contrast Cambodia has voiced nothing but praise for China, which has funded construction of 31 highways and eight bridges over a total length of more than 3,000km, as well as building hydroelectric dams for its neighbour. Phnom Penh’s positive stance towards China has triggered some awkwardness among fellow Asean members. 

 

As the chair of Asean, Prayut has a duty to take the lead in talking frankly with Beijing on both the positive and negative aspects of BRI projects. It may not be easy, but if he wants to lead Asean effectively and responsibly, Prayut must point out that many of the BRI deals place Asean countries at a 

disadvantage.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/opinion/30368249

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-24

[YetAnother]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

but if he wants to lead Asean effectively and responsibly, Prayut must

that puts that discussion to an end

[Denim]

Yet China’s assertion that the BRI is a high-standard platform for cooperation is being eroded by growing claims that the scheme represents a debt trap.

 

Never mind all that. It's the bunce that counts.

[bluesofa]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Prayut has a duty to stand up to China

The only country I can see that stands up to China is the US, and that's more talk than anything serious, to try and alter import-export trade to a level to suit the US.

[Lungstib]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Prayut has a duty to stand up to China

Duty to whom? If you are unelected are you truly responsible to the citizens of the country? Or perhaps that 'duty' is to the people he truly represents, the wealthy elite who think solely in terms of business and profits. Are we again looking at the prospect of any profits being privatised and any losses being suffered by the tax paying citizens who are already facing huge debts for old projects that failed? 

[yellowboat]

Prayut's tantrums are not going to work and he cannot threaten the Chinese.  Those are the only tricks he has.  He has no verbal skills in any language.   He is a puppet for the Thai elite.   Thaksin Shinawatra was much better at dealing with them, and do not be surprised if he shows up afterwards in Beijing. 

 

[Hayduke]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Prayut has a duty to stand up to China

 

The Supreme Leader's pockets are so full of Chinese money that he's quite incapable of standing up.

 

 

[ocddave]

2 minutes ago, Hayduke said:

 

The Supreme Leader's pockets are so full of Chinese money that he's quite incapable of standing up.

 

 

If anything he is jealous of Xi's power, but don't fret, he is well on his way to becoming "Supreme Leader" of Thailand.

[PatOngo]

I think he should threaten them!

[ocddave]

29 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

I think he should threaten them!

He should wait until he gets those Submarines first, he may need to sink China's world-class aircraft carrier. Just think of the Merit Badge he can pin to the chest of his uniform then, wow!

[bluesofa]

38 minutes ago, ocddave said:

If anything he is jealous of Xi's power, but don't fret, he is well on his way to becoming "Supreme Leader" of Thailand.

Every time I hear anything with the word 'supreme' in it, I'm always reminded of school dinners as a kid when we had Chicken Supreme with rice, which I really liked.

Quite an apt name, given we're talking about Prayut standing up to China.

[overherebc]

4 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

Every time I hear anything with the word 'supreme' in it, I'm always reminded of school dinners as a kid when we had Chicken Supreme with rice, which I really liked.

Quite an apt name, given we're talking about Prayut standing up to China.

We called that dish 

'chopped sisal in snot'

[WeekendRaider]

China.... is a very large political organization.  with many needs and purposes that are not at all simple.

 

but.... isn't it wonderful to believe otherwise though in the same way as that Notre Dame is a cathedral... not a tourist attraction.... or that Climate Change is about evil "fossil fuel" companies and not about tourism and air travel and essential things like that.  The border wall project by a USAPresident that owns expensive golf resorts and fancy hotels is for stopping "Mexican Rapists".... not Climate refugees that only the EU has to deal eith going forward from here......

 

etc etc etc.

[geoffbezoz]

3 minutes ago, WeekendRaider said:

China.... is a very large political organization.  single minded in evil purposes!

 

isn't it wonderful to believe otherwise though in the same way as that Notre Dame is a cathedral... not a tourist attraction.  Earth and Venus are just round things, exactly the same as small rocky planets and planets that are not at all rocky. Climate Change is about evil "fossil fuel" companies and not about tourism and air travel and essential things like that.  The border wall project by a USAPresident that owns expensive golf resorts and fancy hotels is for stopping "Mexican Rapists".... not Climate refugees that only the EU has to deal eith going forward from here. in 2019.

An interesting post but give me some time and I will try and think of a question for your answer ????

[nong38]

He has decided he will carry on as PM then, bit quick out of the blocks.

[248900_1469958220]

Can we all just cut the B.S now and admit that this country was better off under Thaksin Shinawatra......Yeah, he was a greedy, corrupt businessman/wannabe politician but, when I came to live here in 2001 this was a much, much different country. We are now staring down the barrel of decades more of military dictatorship, with the only way out REAL... turmoil I fear. I once mocked a Thai colleague that commented she liked Thaksin because he was like "the CEO of Thailand"......I now take back my mockery. 

[bluesofa]

57 minutes ago, overherebc said:

1 hour ago, bluesofa said:

Every time I hear anything with the word 'supreme' in it, I'm always reminded of school dinners as a kid when we had Chicken Supreme with rice, which I really liked.

Quite an apt name, given we're talking about Prayut standing up to China.

We called that dish 

'chopped sisal in snot'

All I know is that at our school it was very good snot.

[Sonhia]

Stand up to China! 

 

Siamesse are descendants of China, forcibly kicked out of southern China for being undisirable citizens. 

 

 

[bluesofa]

1 minute ago, Sonhia said:

Stand up to China!

Siamesse are descendants of China, forcibly kicked out of southern China for being undisirable citizens.

I'd worry that the junta would see it as false news, along with an attitude adjustment session.

 

[Chris Lawrence]

The money has already been made. Corrupt officials have swooped on the cash cows. Why did they lend to most vulnerable and corrupt countries? Ah, but the Chinese have security over their investment. 

 

Now China will make money.

 

Blind Freddy saw this one coming.

[Chris Lawrence]

43 minutes ago, 248900_1469958220 said:

Can we all just cut the B.S now and admit that this country was better off under Thaksin Shinawatra......Yeah, he was a greedy, corrupt businessman/wannabe politician but, when I came to live here in 2001 this was a much, much different country. We are now staring down the barrel of decades more of military dictatorship, with the only way out REAL... turmoil I fear. I once mocked a Thai colleague that commented she liked Thaksin because he was like "the CEO of Thailand"......I now take back my mockery. 

Hey 24, don't you realise that even the mention of Mr T's name will have pages of damnation as it is a cardinal sin or was in 2006 until 2014? 

 

But the Cardinal did sin with the little boys. George Pell. Off track.

 

Any way you get what I mean. There will be people after you on TV for such blasphemy.

[wotsdermatter]

If he stood up to China he would not receive any of their monetary rewards (sic) and how would he be able to explain and justify that to the cohorts who share everything with him?

'nuf sed.

[tabarin]

1 hour ago, 248900_1469958220 said:

Can we all just cut the B.S now and admit that this country was better off under Thaksin Shinawatra......Yeah, he was a greedy, corrupt businessman/wannabe politician but, when I came to live here in 2001 this was a much, much different country. We are now staring down the barrel of decades more of military dictatorship, with the only way out REAL... turmoil I fear. I once mocked a Thai colleague that commented she liked Thaksin because he was like "the CEO of Thailand"......I now take back my mockery. 

Leaders from anywhere have blood and dirt on their hands, sooner or later, so better take the one that at least does the job in the best possible way. He did.

[Puchaiyank]

China is the new bully...either join the club...wear the red gang colors or be prepared to pay the consequences...

[DrTuner]

Junta will sell the country to the highest bidder, given it's current condition only China is interested so Chailand it is.

[Srikcir]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

As the representative of Asean interests at this week’s Belt and Road Forum, PM must push for fairer deals

How well has Prayut negotiated with the Chinese?

• He negotiated China's loans to Thailand over the dual-rail system for four years and in the end Thailand will pay a higher interest rate than what China originally offered;
• He cancelled Thailand's government monopoly for an agricultural e-commerce system designed to sell products directly to the Chinese market and gave China the exclusive right to operate a similar Chinese-designed system from Thailand to the Chinese market.
• He has thus far failed to get China to make joint venture investments in Thailand's infrastructure projects.

[JAG]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Prayut has a duty to stand up to China

HaHaha

[Ulic]

Jobs for the Chinese, debt for the countries involved, kickbacks for government officials signing the deals, third world quality construction. That sums it all up for me. 

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, Hayduke said:

 

The Supreme Leader's pockets are so full of Chinese money that he's quite incapable of standing up.

 

 

China has been absorbed into the very fabric of Thailand for a very long time... they've stealthily been moving in for years, most things are controlled or owned to some point by Chinese.

China are just on the final move by integrating roads, bridges, railway links then the rest will follow.

It's long been establishing itself in trade, so much so that they soon control commerce & huge slices of power in each country. Soon Laos, Cambodia, Thailand & eventually Vietnam will all be singing to a new tune !

[DrTuner]

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

China has been absorbed into the very fabric of Thailand for a very long time... they've stealthily been moving in for years, most things are controlled or owned to some point by Chinese.

I like this article, the publishing website is dodgy but the article itself is interesting: https://newleftreview.org/issues/II97/articles/benedict-anderson-riddles-of-yellow-and-red

 

The Chinese Thailand got seems to have been the scraps, not the merchants that went to trading routes instead of settling in the swampy out of the beaten path crotch of Thailand. Not much has changed.