Thailand did not struggle for the global superpower to accept Thailand's junta, says deputy government spokesman Werachon Sukondhapatipak.
When Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha met US President Donald Trump at the White House on Oct 2, it was the US president who reached out and vowed to strengthen the Thai-US relationship "like never before", he said.
"Our stance was clear, the US must look at Thailand as more than just a trade partner, but as an important friend. We also see the US as a friend, not just a trade partner. We do not look for advantages or victories but for mutual benefits. We kept that mindset so the meeting was a talk between friends," he said.
During the Barack Obama administration, relations between Thailand and the US might not have been as warm as before, and the PM said he understood and did not try too hard to gain acceptance. Thailand never lobbied, although some countries see lobbying as a normal practice.
"We did nothing, and one day we were on the list of countries the new US president wanted to contact," the deputy government spokesman said, adding that cooperation and collaboration between the two countries never stopped but only decreased in some areas.
On April 30 at 9pm Thailand time, the prime minister received a call from the US president. "Even on the first day of contact, we could sense the friendliness in his voice. He introduced himself as the US president and then Gen Prayut introduced himself," the deputy government spokesman said. He talked about the relationship between Thailand and the US and emphasised the US is a friend of Thailand.
Inquirylines, published bi-weekly on Mondays is a Bangkok Post column to present in-depth details of a range of issues from politics and social interest to eye-catching everyday lives.
After the phone call between the president and the PM, Thai officials including the permanent secretaries of defence, commerce and foreign affairs discussed what could be the talking points for the meeting, Lt Gen Werachon said. "At first, the meeting was set for July, but the foreign ministers of both countries agreed the meeting must be meaningful and successful so they would wait for both countries to be ready," he said.
When both sides agreed to meet in October, the prime minister wanted the meeting to take place as soon as possible as the government would have to prepare for the royal cremation ceremony of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, to take place on Oct 26.
Although officials involved had known the date in advance, the Thai side had to wait for the US, as the host, to announce it first, he said. The date was eventually changed from Oct 3 to Oct 2 as the US president decided to visit the hurricane-affected areas of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands on Oct 3.
Gen Prayut is the first Thai leader to visit the White House since 2005. Meanwhile, Thailand and the US will celebrate the 185th anniversary of their diplomatic relationship next year, although communications between the nations started almost 200 years ago. "Over the 185 years, we have done a lot of things together. Going to the next level and making it substantial needs a lot of homework," Lt Gen Werachon said.
"Luckily, this government has many initiatives, including Thailand 4.0, the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) and the goal for Thailand to get out of the middle-income trap, so we are looking for new cooperation in education, human resource development and innovation," he said.
Earlier this year, Mr Trump announced his intention to fix trade deficits with 16 countries including Thailand. Bilateral trade stood at US$40 billion last year with the kingdom notching a $19-billion surplus.
During the trip, Siam Cement Plc (SCG), Thailand's largest industrial conglomerate, broke new ground by announcing it would purchase 155,000 tonnes of coal from US companies for the first time. Meanwhile, PTTGC America LLC, a subsidiary of PTT Global Chemical, signed an MoU and said it is mulling investing in a petrochemical complex in the US worth about 200 billion baht.
Although the deals would reduce Thailand's trade surplus over the US, Lt Gen Werachon said it was not a loss for the kingdom.
"If we have a friend who always takes advantage of us, we wouldn't want to mingle with this friend any more," he said.
"The PM sees that Thailand has changed. We are no longer the receiver. We have dignity and we give and take. And so far, we haven't lost any advantage," Lt Gen Werachon said, adding the private sector companies who joined the US delegation were those already investing in the US or those who are interested to do so.
He said the Thai side asked the US to provide assistance to these Thai investors and business people.
Before Gen Prayut's visit, there had been concerns the US would pressure Thailand to buy more products and ease regulations, such as the ban on swine meat, to allow sale of more US products.
"We set up committees to discuss the problems. We have not said yes or no yet," he said.
Thailand bans imports of US pork and chicken for fear of contamination with ractopamine, a feed additive widely used in the US. After the US's call for Thailand to open its market, Gen Prayut has ordered the Agriculture Ministry to lead a study into the impact of permitting the import of pork and other meat products from the US.
Activists previously voiced concerns Thailand will be forced to allow the use of more dangerous pesticides after Gen Prayut's trip to the US. The deputy spokesman said the issue was barely touched upon during the meeting.
Besides these concerns, critics also questioned whether the government had made a deal to spend a huge sum of money to buy military products from the US. "Buying weapons from the US is common for Thailand. Since WWII, our military development has followed the US, including its military organisations," he said.
"We told them we were interested but we don't have a lot of money as we are an agricultural country, so if the US wants to sell weapons to us, it should look into how it can offer us special deals or support," he said. It could lead to the US buying more products from Thailand.
He said that during the lunch meeting, Mr Trump also asked his secretary of commerce Wilbur Ross which products the US could buy more of from Thailand.
The answers included rice, rubber, seafood and processed agricultural products.
Maj Genj Werachon says Thailand preserved its dignity and suffered no losses in talks between Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and the US president. (Photo by Chanat Katanyu)
"During the Barack Obama administration, they said they could not sell weapons to us as our government was not democratic. Now, nobody talks about any limitations. We looked for co-operation in every aspect," he said.
Lt Gen Werachon said his impression from this trip was that Mr Trump had a friendly and humble demeanour, unlike what had been portrayed in the media.
Asked if he thinks the US would still have invited the Thai leader if there weren't pressing issues of regional security such as the nuclear tests in the Korean Peninsula and the South China Sea, Lt Gen Werachon said he could only guess.
"If I look at things positively, I must say yes, he would still have invited PM Prayut. That's because since the time they talked on the phone, there had been no signs of pressure or any conditions from the US side,'' the deputy government spokesman said.