PM dismisses reports of US drone production base in Thailand, affirms military matters will not be used in tariff negotiations, separates security from trade, asks who raised the issue, reaffirms Cobra Gold proceeds as normal, reveals discussion with "Supajee" to update tariff negotiations on schedule.
At 09:00 on 14 August, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul addressed media reports that the United States intends to establish a drone manufacturing base in Thailand, denying that he had received any such report.
On the question of whether military affairs would be used as leverage in trade tariff negotiations, the Prime Minister emphasized that this would not happen. He noted that the previous day, Mr. Elbridge Colby, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy of the United States, had come to meet with him, but that trade and tariffs — which fall under trade negotiations — were not discussed. The conversation focused on security and military cooperation, and the government will not allow the two matters to be intertwined. He added that the atmosphere of the discussions was very positive.
When asked whether security issues and trade negotiations must be kept separate, the Prime Minister stated that the United States has always operated this way, because the Under Secretary of Defense does not have trade topics to discuss. Regarding whether the Cobra Gold joint and combined military exercise will proceed on its normal schedule, the Prime Minister confirmed it will, saying it is something that has been done for several decades and that he does not know who started this rumour, because there is simply no basis for it.
When asked whether Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Supajee Suthumpun had already reported back on the trade tariff negotiations, the Prime Minister said that a meeting was held the previous Monday to provide an update, and that everything is on track within the timeline set by the negotiating team.
