Thailand Asks Germany to Review Policy to Save China Submarine Deal

21 Maret 2025

The German engines are considered more silent than those made by China which will be installed on the S-26T submarine (photo: news.bjd)

BANGKOK -- Thailand has formally asked Germany to reconsider its opposition to supplying the engine for a $369 million submarine the kingdom has agreed to buy from China, in a bid to resolve a yearslong impasse that has prevented the vessel's delivery, according to security and diplomatic sources.

Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, who is also the deputy prime minister, has written to his German counterpart seeking clarity about the options over whether a MTU396 engine could be installed in the Chinese Yuan class submarine, Nikkei Asia has learned. The initiative follows a meeting with a senior German defense ministry official.

Bangkok-based diplomats said that Germany has given no hint of diverging from European Union export control regulations that prohibit member states from exporting weapons to support the Chinese military since the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989.

As an alternative, Beijing suggested the Thais substitute the German MTU396 engine with a Chinese alternative, the CHD 620. Senior Thai navy officials were courted by Beijing, a national security source revealed. 

But the Thais have balked, given malfeasance charges that can be slapped on government officials for breaching the terms of government contracts.

See full article Nikkei

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