By Thai Newsroom Reporters
PRIME MINISTER Anutin Charnvirakul today (Aug.14) categorically denied that bilateral trade relations between the United States and Thailand would ultimately have anything to do with the Cobra Gold military exercise between the two allied countries.
Anutin was apparently responding to unconfirmed speculation that the annual military exercise jointly hosted by the US and Thai armed forces and participated by many others over the last four decades would probably become sort of a bargaining chip in bilateral trade talks between Washington and Bangkok in regard to the former’s increased import tariffs for the latter’s goods reportedly accounting for 19% today.
The prime minister remarked that such hearsay had come out of nowhere only to puzzle him and others and ultimately confirmed that the Cobra Gold joint military exercise, the largest in the Southeast Asian region, will most certainly be continued on and remain intact from any trade talks between the two allied countries.
The prime minister said he met with the visiting US Undersecretary of Defence Elbridge Colby at Government House yesterday (Aug.13) to discuss the sustainable Thai-US defence cooperation and regional security issues and no such thing as bilateral trade talks or other irrelevant topics were raised for discussion.
He confirmed that Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Commerce Minister Supajee Suthumpun will definitely continue to negotiate a cut in the US import tariffs for Thai goods regardless of the Thai-US joint military cooperation and the long-established alliance between the two nations.
CAPTION:
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul holding talks with US Undersecretary of Defence Elbridge Colby at Government House yesterday, Aug. 13, 2026. Photos – Amarin TV
Earlier report:
Thailand not linking Cobra Gold 2027 war games to US tariff cuts: Ministry
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