Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha accepted an invitation to visit the White House extended by US President Donald Trump during a brief phone conversation on Sunday.
Trump called both Prayut and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as he marked his first 100 days in office to address his commitment to longstanding alliances in the context of stability in the Asia-Pacific region, notably the Korean Peninsula.
“President Trump and Prime Minister Prayut expressed a strong shared interest in strengthening trade and economic ties between the two countries,” said a White House statement.
“President Trump affirmed the commitment of the US to playing an active and leading role in Asia, in close co-operation with partners and allies like Thailand,” it said.
In the conversation, Prayut congratulated Trump on his election and first 100 days as president. He also thanked Trump for his message of condolences last year on the passing of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, deputy government spokesman Werachon Sukondhapatipak said.
Prayut thanked and accepted Trump’s invitation to visit the US and extended an invitation to the president to visit Thailand at a convenient time, he said.
The introductory call lasted around 15 minutes with no specific issue dominating the conversation, said the spokesman, who was on hand to interpret for Prayut, although the premier mostly spoke directly to Trump in English.
Relations between Thailand and the US cooled during Barack Obama’s administration due to the former president’s criticism of the Prayut-led military coup in 2014 and his comments on the suppression of human rights and democracy.
Under the Trump administration, Thailand is still listed on the US unfair trade “watch list”, but Werachon said the two leaders did not mention US concerns about the trade deficit.
