A senior Cambodian scholar says Thailand’s political tradition has long relied on keeping every option open to benefit from whichever major power can offer the greatest advantage at any moment.
Kin Phea, director of the International Relations Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, wrote on Facebook that Thai politics often resembles a scripted performance. He said some actors play the hero, others the villain, and some pretend to be foolish, but all roles ultimately serve the same flexible strategy.
According to Kin Phea, the Thai governments cultivate close ties with a powerful state while quietly supporting opposition groups that can later be used to undermine that same power if circumstances shift. He argues that when the influence of a major partner fades, Thailand quickly allows the opposition to attack and topple the old leadership, clearing the way for a new administration that resets ties with a different global power.
He said this approach has helped Thailand expand its territory historically, strengthen its economy, develop its military, and maintain what he described as a balanced foreign policy.
Thai newspaper Khaosod published an editorial on November 16 saying the country’s current political trajectory faces new risks. The article criticised Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, accusing him of endangering Thailand’s interests by aligning too closely with the United States and mishandling delicate regional diplomacy.
The editorial claimed the danger intensified after Anutin abruptly withdrew from the recent peace agreement with Cambodia on November 12 without notifying Washington. The agreement had been initiated directly by United States President Donald Trump. It also noted that Anutin had threatened to abandon American preferential tariffs and seek alternative trade partners for Thai exports.
On November 13, The Nation reported that Anutin accompanied King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida on an official visit to China, scheduled from November 13 to 17.
During the visit, China’s state news agency Xinhua said President Xi Jinping told the Thai monarch that China and Thailand are as close as one family and will work together to write a new chapter in bilateral friendship.
