One or two months are needed to tie up any loose ends in the negotiations between a Royal Thai Navy team and its Chinese counterpart on the procurement of an S26T Yuan-class submarine from China, Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang said on Tuesday.
The latest results from the negotiating table must still be treated as confidential at this point as mutually agreed by both sides, he added.
He urged all parties eager to know more details about the negotiations to be patient and wait until a final conclusion is reached, possibly in four to eight weeks.
“We’re not intending to hide anything from the public, but we should never say anything much as to do so may cost us some negotiating power,” said Mr Sutin. “I strongly believe this will end well.”
He asked the opposition, in particular, to wait until it is the right time for the government to respond to all questions it has raised over the submarine procurement.
The minister said he could not say exactly when the results would be ready for submission to the cabinet, as a possible trade exchange is now being incorporated into the deal and causing a longer delay.
The Pheu Thai-led government has set a new requirement for any new military hardware procurement projects to be accompanied by a barter trade deal.
China Shipbuilding & Offshore International Co (CSOC) was contracted to build the submarine for 13.5 billion baht under a government-to-government deal with Thailand.
Construction was reportedly halfway finished when it was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and then put on hold due to the engine issue.
The original deal signed in May 2017 stipulated a German-made diesel engine.
But the plan changed after Germany refused to sell the engine to China as it is designated a military/defence item.