EU restrictions on hands nixes sourcing strategy
PUBLISHED: 15 May 2025 at 04: 06
Because Thailand is a member of the European Union and is prohibited from exporting weapons to China, the country’s defense ministry says that the Chinese-made boats that Thailand ordered won’t have German machines.
When he learned the news, Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai met with Boris Pistorius from Germany at the UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting ( UNPKM) 2025.
Mr. Phumtham praised Germany for hosting the occasion and commended it for the election of Chancellor Friedrich Merz and a new leadership.
He applauded Mr. Pistorius’s continued leadership in his government, which suggested there would be consistency in Germany’s defense policy.
Both parties praised their strong economic ties and 163-year-old long-standing connection. Thailand’s biggest trading mate within the EU is Germany.
Mr. Phumtham reaffirmed Thailand’s devotion to strengthening security features in accordance with United standards and announced plans to hold education in the Triangular Partnership Programme between 2027 and 2028.
Mr. Phumtham also thanked Germany for its assistance in training Thai defense officers, which he claimed has improved their level of professionalism. In a bid to modernize its military forces, he stated that the country is eager to explore cooperation in digital defense and AI.
Thailand is even looking into manufacturing martial and arms to strengthen its sense of security, according to Mr. Phumtham, with an emphasis on the production of unmanned aerial vehicles, send elements, unmanned aerial vehicles, and firearms and ammunition.
Mr. Phumtham inquired about the possibility of the European defense ministry providing the Chinese ships that Thailand purchased with MTU396 underwater vehicles during the conference.
According to Mr. Pistorius, the EU’s hands embargo on China, which Germany must follow as a member of both the EU and NATO, prevented the nation from carrying out the sales.
The Thai Navy accepted China’s request to use the Chinese-made CHD620 vehicles in July 2024.