U.S. Army chief of staff signs "strategic vision" pact with Thailand

BANGKOK, July 10 (Reuters) - U.S. Army Chief of Staff
General James McConville met with Thailand's prime minister and
its army chief on Friday, in the first high-level visit by a
foreign delegation to Thailand since the COVID-19 pandemic
disrupted international travel.
McConville met with Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and
also Thai army chief Apirat Kongsompong and signed a Strategic
Vision Statement, a U.S. Embassy statement said, as Washington
looks to reassure allies about its commitment to the region.
The text of the statement was not released, but the embassy
said McConville and Apirat "discussed modernisation,
interoperability, joint training, and doctrine".
The United States has sought to counter China's influence in
Southeast Asia, most recently by sending two aircraft carriers
to the South China Sea while the Chinese military conducted
drills near islands that are also claimed by Vietnam.
Thailand is Washington's oldest ally in Asia, but relations
were strained by a 2014 military coup led by then-army chief
Prayuth that ousted an elected civilian government.
The United States scaled back some military exchanges with
Thailand, and Bangkok responded by forging a closer ties with
China.
But ties improved after last year's general election that
officially restored civilian rule while keeping Prayuth on as a
civilian leader, resulting in arms deal for U.S.-made armored
personnel carriers and light attack helicopters last year.
Prayuth on Friday also acknowledged $2 million in U.S. aid
to help Thailand to cope with the coronavirus, according to a
news release from his office.
The U.S. delegation visited under a special arrangement to
follow strict coronavirus safety measures that required members
to wear face masks.
Thailand has gone six weeks without confirmed community
transmission of coronavirus, while the United States marked a
new daily record of more than 60,000 new cases on Thursday.