PM Anutin Says US AI Stance Won't Impact Trade Talks
Thai PM Anutin Charnvirakul insists US AI alignment pressure won't affect trade tax negotiations, noting warm bilateral ties without pressure.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- PM Anutin says US AI alignment demand won't affect tax talks
- Insists military security ties remain separate from trade
- Rejects claims of pressure from visiting US defense officials
- Highlights close rapport, noting US officials asked to call him Nu
On August 17, 2026, at 08:35 AM at the Royal Thai Air Force Wing 6 in Don Mueang, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul addressed reports regarding the United States preparing to ask various countries to choose sides in the AI competition against China, answering reporters' concerns on whether Thailand maintaining neutrality would impact trade tax negotiations.
The Prime Minister stated that the two issues are unlikely to be related, pointing out that the conditions on the negotiating table have specific details. He questioned what choosing sides actually means and to what extent a country must go to be considered as having chosen a side, noting that everything is currently in the negotiation process.
In international diplomacy, economic negotiations are traditionally compartmentalized from military and defense cooperation. While superpowers like the United States push for technological decoupling from China, middle powers often pursue a balanced economic strategy to safeguard national interests without letting tech disputes hinder economic growth.
Anutin added that this mirrors discussions from the previous week when the US Deputy Secretary of Defense visited Government House, where both sides mutually confirmed that security cooperation, Cobra Gold exercises, and military support have no connection to trade negotiations.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
When asked by reporters whether frequent visits by top US defense officials, including the Deputy Secretary and Under Secretary of Defense, indicated attempts to pressure Thailand, Anutin firmly denied any such pressure, describing the atmosphere as one of mutual admiration and cooperation.
“Why would anyone think they were pressuring us? There is none at all. When we meet and talk, we even use first names. When I called him Minister, he told me to call him by his first name. When he called me Mr. Prime Minister, I told him, 'Call me Nu'.”
Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister of Thailand
Source: Khaosod Politics
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