Thailand, China strengthen relations with launch of “Falcon Strike” drill

KUALA LUMPUR, Thailand and China began their annual joint air force drill, known as "Falcon Strike", on Sunday until August 29, at the Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base as Beijing continues to strengthen defense relations with Southeast Asian nations. This year is the seventh Falcon Strike training exercise between the air forces of China and Thailand, they have been held annually since 2015 but were suspended in 2020 and 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Udorn base located in northeastern Thailand was formerly a United States Air Force base, with Thailand being the oldest US treaty ally in the region and the only treaty ally in the Southeast Asian mainland. However, its ties with Washington were strained following a 2014 military coup that overthrew the democratically elected government, Washington condemned the takeover and reduced its military cooperation with Bangkok. China used this opportunity to strengthen military ties with Thailand and make several arms deals, according to the Stockholm In ternational Peace Research Institute, Thailand's weapon purchases from China have increased since 2014 and included items such as submarines, anti-ship missiles, air defense systems and armored vehicles. China and Thailand have expanded their joint military exercises covering air, land and sea operations from one drill in 2017 to three last year, with these exercises being less complex than Thailand's joint drills with the US. Source : Kuwait News Agency