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Royal Thai Army VT-4 - thaidefense-news.blogspot.com
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More countries in Southeast Asia are turning
to China to replenish their military equipment; Thailand is getting tanks,
while KL will get frigates
By ASIA
UNHEDGED OCTOBER 17, 2017 3:36 PM (UTC+8)
Barges carrying made-in-China tanks have been plying Thai
waterways and ports this month, after 28 VT-4 battle tanks were delivered
to the Royal Thai Army, according to media reports in both countries.
In 2016, state-owned heavy machinery maker China North Industries
Corp (Norinco) undercut its Ukrainian, Russian and Singaporean competitors to
bag a 4.9-billion-baht (US$148-million) order for 49 tanks, with the military
government in Bangkok keen to replace its ageing US-made M41 Walker
Bulldog reconnaissance light tanks that have been in service since World War
II.
Delivery of the first batch of Chinese tanks came last
week, six months ahead of the schedule.
Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Prawit
Wongsuwan was quoted as saying the merit of the Chinese tanks was more than
just the price.
The Chinese military and Norinco will also invest in a
maintenance and training center in Thailand that will manufacture parts for
tanks and armored vehicles, Bangkok-based Voice TV reported.
Previously, the Thai military had been a long-time
buyer of Ukrainian tanks. But as the Bangkok Post revealed, Kiev only managed
to deliver 10 T-84s over the past three years rather than a full battalion –
due to the East European nation’s economic difficulties.
Last year, the government led by coup-leader Gen Prayut
Chan-ocha agreed to buy three submarines made in China for just over US$1
billion.
The deal to buy three Yuan-class subs spurred a lot of
criticism and debate. But Thailand is not the only nation in the region that
finds Chinese arms and weaponry a good bargain.
A year ago, Malaysia also went on a shopping spree,
buying 18 coastal defense frigates during a state visit to Beijing by Prime
Minister Najib Razak. Najib reportedly gave his Chinese counterpart a “wish
list” of military equipment, and a deal was subsequently agreed on in April
between China Shipbuilding Industry Corp and the Malaysian navy, for the latter
to build ships at its own shipyards with a transfer of Chinese technology.
These deals come at a time when many countries in the
ASEAN region are concerned about Beijing’s claims to islands in the South China
Sea. Singapore, which has military cooperation with Taiwan, was allegedly
none-too-pleased about the high-profile sale of military vessels to Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Jakarta also inked a deal last year for
China-made radar and command systems. China is also the largest weapons
supplier for Myanmar, providing a whole range of arms and ammunition, from
fighters to missiles.
And when the US Congress barred the sale of 26,000
M4 carbines to the Philippines last year – as a protest against President
Rodrigo Duterte’s “murderous” war against drugs, Beijing saw a chance to
provide rifles for the Filipinos’ law enforcers.
US companies still rake in cash from arms sales to East
Asia and Southeast Asia – mainly to longstanding regional allies such as Japan,
South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore.
But other nations with fledging domestic defense
industries share a common desire to source their military hardware from
elsewhere, either for cost-performance or leverage when negotiating with
Washington. And that has opened doors in the region for Chinese suppliers.
Original post: atimes.com
1. M41 Walker Bulldog were produced after WWII and… 2. China supplied rifles to Philippines to use against the
Islamist terrorist……3. Singapore have not built any MBT.....
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