Why Thailand, a US treaty ally, is stocking up on Chinese weaponsListen to this articleA model of the Yuan Class S26T submarine that the Royal Thai Navy has already signed a deal to buy from China, is displayed at the navy’s auditorium in August 2017. (Photo: Apichart Jinakul)Thailand, a US treaty ally, has been adding to its arsenal of Chinese-made weapons with deals for ships, tanks and other high-value hardware. The Royal Thai Army has finalised a deal to buy an additional batch of Chinese-made VN-1 armoured vehicles for 1 billion baht. Beijing then proposed Chinese alternatives, but the Thai side initially rejected the offer due to concerns over the "unproven" reliability of the Chinese engines. "Thailand has previously procured several Chinese weapons systems, primarily due to their competitive pricing and rapid availability," Koga said.

Source: Bangkok Post January 26, 2026 07:48 UTC