“The rules-based international order is breaking down,” Thailand’s Foreign Minister warns

Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow told Euronews that as “we live in a world where we see the rules-based international order breaking down,” “we need to restore multilateralism, because nobody can go it alone.”

In a wide-ranging interview for Euronews’ new World Conversation global programme, the veteran top Thai diplomat, with over 40 years of foreign ministry service, outlined how Thailand has managed to secure a balanced approach with the United States and China at a time when the “the main global contestation is between the two superpowers whom both are friends of Thailand.”

“We ask our friends not to force us to take sides,” Sihasak explained, adding that “not taking sides does not mean being neutral as sometimes neutrality does not serve your interest.” He pointed to growing Chinese investment in electric vehicles and the US role in regional security.

A market of 700 million people, Thailand is “a geopolitically safe zone,” the deputy prime minister said in Bangkok, and therefore its strategic objective is to maintain peace and stability. In this context, he emphasized the crucial role played by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) alliance for pan-Asian stability, adding that Thailand was ready to rebuild ties with Cambodia and defended a gradual return to regional talks with Myanmar.