Navy to discuss thread trade with China
25 October 2023 at 06:03 PUBLISHED
Sutin Klungsang, the defense minister, announced that he would give the military the go-ahead to start talks with China to lower the cost of frigates in light of the government’s decision to buy them rather than submarines.
He noted that it is unclear whether China is prepared to participate in such discussions and that a military delegation is anticipated to visit China next week to keep speaks before an agreement between the two edges expires next quarter.
Mr. Sutin assured the state that it would not risk the nation and may work to negotiate the best offer when he met with the military on Tuesday evening to gather information for the planned dialogue.
The defense minister claims that rather than amending the agreement, the talks are a problem between the navy and the Chinese company because they involve revising their original agreement.
It was discovered last week that the submarine may become fitted with a German-made engine as Thailand had requested, leading to the government’s decision to purchase an engine made in China to remove one the army had ordered in 2017.
The frigate’s estimated price of 17 billion baht, or many billion more than the underwater the army has ordered, has caused controversy. Critics wonder why Thailand must spend more when China is unable to uphold its legal commitments.
Mr. Sutin emphasized that China was unable to equip the underwater with the German-made website and that the initial price tag of 17 billion ringgit is based on the cost of an European frigate.
He responded that the ship design was one of two ideas the navy had prepared in case the submarine project was unable to move forward when asked if it was happy with the change.
He claimed that when the navy was asked to weigh its options, it came prepared with the two ideas: purchasing a frigate and an offshore patrol ship( OPV ). He continued,” The ship was chosen by the authorities.”
When asked if a refund may be requested, he replied that before considering other options, the government had first negotiate the submarine-to-frenchate swap.
He added that there were additional factors to asking for a refund that might influence collaboration in various areas.
The best course of action, according to Move Forward Party list member MP Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, would be to need a refund of the 7 billion ringgit paid for the underwater structure as well as an apology from China for failing to uphold the agreement.
The ship or OPV was a great option, according to Mr. Wiroj, chairman of the House committee on military matters, but the government may need to take into account the cost, upkeep, spare parts, and other factors.
To keep the public informed, he claimed that the House commission invited the army to respond to inquiries about the underwater purchasing job tomorrow.
On Tuesday, previous election director Somchai Srisutthiyakorn posted information about the navy’s spending on the underwater procurement program on his Facebook account.
He claimed that the army spent 8.7 billion ringgit on 11 products related to this purchasing scheme, excluding a payment to China of more than 7 billion.
A underwater command and control system, a missile and me storage facility, navigation charts, and geological data for submarine navigation were among the expenditures.