The rise of a great power: starting with military industry

Chapter 679: The Big Trend
On a "Fuxing" bullet train from Pengcheng to Beijing, there was a separate carriage with the glass doors at the front and rear closed. This glass door was made of tempered glass and would not be closed under normal circumstances. Only when there were important guests like this, who were in a separate carriage, would the doors be closed to avoid being disturbed by other passengers.

There is also a dedicated train attendant and a train police officer to provide services in the carriage.

Inside the carriage, everyone in the Thai military delegation looked curious and shocked.

They have been shocked since they arrived in Pengcheng.

Pengcheng's speed shocked them.

The China High-Speed ​​Railway shocked them even more.

It is a modern train station full of science fiction, and the high-speed rail has a comfortable environment. It is very comfortable to ride on the high-speed rail without any bumps.

The speed of the display shocked them.

They don't have such fast and smooth railways in Thailand.

"It seems that we made the right decision to come to China this time. We may be able to buy advanced fighter jets and advanced warships." Kong Songpong said optimistically.

Thailand's current land and air military strength ranks first in Southeast Asia, especially the army, which has a large number of tanks and armored vehicles, and can almost protect itself, but the air force needs to be strengthened.

But what Thailand wants to strengthen most is its navy, as a large part of Thailand's export trade is transported by sea.

China sent a naval fleet to the Persian Gulf for escort and continued to visit various friendly countries. After Saudi Arabia obtained missile boats and torpedo boats, it made a big publicity. When the Thai side learned the news, the senior military officials began to become active.

China's missile boats, torpedo boats, frigates and destroyers are advanced, and China is willing to export them. This undoubtedly provides a better choice for many countries in the world that rely on buying weapons to strengthen their national defense.

Weapons and equipment, whether from the Soviet Union or the United States, come with a host of political and economic conditions attached.

The more advanced the weapons and equipment, the more political and economic conditions attached, and the more difficult it is to accept.

Small countries either don't buy or agree to their terms.

As one of the four Asian tigers representing the new round of economic growth, Thailand has seen rapid economic growth in recent years and a significant improvement in its domestic economic structure. It is undoubtedly the leader among the four Asian tigers.

Then, as the economy developed, the Thai government became increasingly concerned.

The reason is simple: their national defense capabilities cannot match the achievements they have made in economic development.

Although the possibility is small, it is not completely impossible for a terrible situation to occur.

Besides, the South Vietnamese navy now has a lot of armed transport ships. If these armed transport ships fly the national flag, they are the navy. If they don’t fly the flag, they are pirates.

Faced with such rogue behavior of South Vietnam, Thailand was the hardest hit area, and countless merchant ships were robbed.

The Thai Navy's warships are small in tonnage and backward in performance, so they are simply unable to solve this problem.

The conflict between Thailand and South Vietnam can be traced back to the Vietnam War. At that time, in order to win the war, the United States leased many military bases in Thailand. A large part of the millions of tons of bombs dropped by the United States on the battlefield in Vietnam were transported from Thailand.

This time, their most urgent concern was not the air force, but strengthening the navy, and purchasing a batch of warships from Panshan Group.

At the same time, more in-depth cooperation negotiations are carried out.

"We should discuss aircraft and warships. We still have high hopes. We have known the other party's principles for so many years. As long as we pay, they are basically willing to buy. They deliver on time and basically will not breach the contract. Their service attitude is very good, and there will be no political or economic conditions attached." Chavalit Yongchaiyudh said, "But we should also have in-depth discussions on shipping and the Kra Canal, which will be beneficial to us."

Over the years, the two sides have held five rounds of negotiations on shipping and the Kra Canal, and have reached a lot of consensus on cooperation. After all, there is great potential for cooperation and it will bring huge benefits to Thailand. The only reason they failed to reach an agreement was that the parties could not reach an agreement on the shareholdings. In this regard, Thailand intends to make concessions this time to promote the development of Chao Phraya River shipping and the construction of the Kra Canal.

Thailand alone will definitely not be able to handle this. Even if it is just one of the projects, Thailand cannot handle it.

Otherwise, Thailand would have done it long ago.

Originally, the United States was the best choice for Thailand. After all, the United States and the Soviet Union are the only two superpowers in the world, and these two are also the best choices for everyone to choose as big brothers.

The Soviet Union is not suitable for Thailand, after all, Thailand is a constitutional monarchy.

If they choose the Soviet Union, then the King of Thailand and the royal family will be over!
So Thailand chose the United States and became its most important military ally in Southeast Asia.

All this changed dramatically in 1979.

The further you go, the weaker you become.

When China's first Persian Gulf escort fleet paid a friendly visit to Thailand on its return voyage, it almost became the last straw that broke the camel's back for many people.

Thailand and China, this started a long, long time ago.

Even in Thailand itself, there are many Chinese people.

Since 1980, the development of overseas Chinese in Thailand has entered the fast lane. With their inherent advantages, they have a unique advantage in doing business.

Now Thailand’s largest rubber supplier, largest grain trader, etc. are all Chinese and overseas Chinese.

These overseas Chinese are very keen to return to China to trace their roots, continue writing their family tree, and invest in building their hometown.

The trend is unstoppable, and even Thailand is no exception.

Thailand’s current population is 5500 million, and the number of Chinese and overseas Chinese accounts for 1000 million, nearly 20%.

Many large Chinese and overseas Chinese families have very strong influence in the local area and are very difficult to mess with.

More importantly, Thailand is surrounded on three sides: east, north and west.

This also means that Thailand now has no choice.

"Military purchases are important, but shipping and the Kra Canal are more important! Shipping and the Kra Canal will greatly promote the development of Thailand and bring huge benefits. Look at how much money Singapore can make every year just by providing ship traffic services!" Chavalit Yongchaiyudh said in a deep voice.

Chavalit Yongchaiyud has higher aspirations. He has been actively building friendly relations with China and making friends with overseas Chinese since a few years ago. Not long ago, he even supported Kongsongpong to take over as the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and they have established an alliance.

Chavalit Yongchaiyudh was well aware of the benefits of developing shipping on the Chao Phraya River and the Kra Canal.

He said: "The Chinese are now building railways in Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. These two railways will be open this year. The construction of the two ports is developing very rapidly. I have heard that the Chinese have decided to develop the Mekong River shipping. We can't wait any longer. If we wait any longer, we may miss the chance!"

"Perhaps in the future, the China-Myanmar-Thailand or China-Laos-Thailand railways will be connected into one." Chavalit Yongchaiyud's eyes sparkled.

He chose to take a positive attitude in order to gain more support and continue to move forward.

(End of this chapter)