The Thai government’s decision to encourage visa-free travel for Chinese nationals has certainly boosted their numbers. They are now estimated to be around 35,000 per day as flights increase from more cities in China. The overall volume is either back to pre-covid days or has even surpassed it.
Although the boost to Thai tourism and to government coffers is obvious, there are other features about the move. Recent advertising hoardings in Bangkok and Rayong, written exclusively in the Chinese language, have been removed by Thai local authorities but clearly illustrate a new market trend. The Thai commerce ministry is complaining that Chinese-made domestic products are flooding Thai markets at a huge discount compared with Thai-made items. The popular Alibaba Group Holding e-commerce and retail technology company is basically run from China and offers knock-down prices.
Meanwhile, there are frequent media tales in Thailand about Chinese citizens being abducted or forcibly repatriated, even as Thai immigration officers periodically swoop on Chinese illegal businesses and scam centers throughout the country. Parts of the Mekong River and the Golden Triangle – in Laos and Cambodia – already have Chinese security or “law enforcement” patrols although Thailand has so far resisted the move in its own territory. Both areas are centers of corruption and crime, according to countless media reports.
There are some signs that the Thai government is taking steps to challenge growing Chinese economic and political influence. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, for example, has encouraged investment in Thailand by US large companies such as Google and Microsoft and has backtracked on Chinese military deals including the controversial submarine purchase. His promotion of a 28 billion baht land bridge to connect the Pacific and Indian oceans in south Thailand has annoyed Chinese mega-investors who would have preferred a canal to facilitate the passage of Chinese vessels.
China is Thailand’s biggest trading partner and around 15 percent of Thai citizens have Chinese ethnic roots. As US influence in Asia recedes, that of China is rapidly growing. The question for Thailand is whether she follows Sri Lanka, Laos and Cambodia into economic and political submission to both the hard and soft power of the Beijing authorities. The next five years will be decisive.
