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As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing the prospect of a "Take Over" by the Chinese here in Thailand. This is something, it is almost cliché in expat circles I would say. One thing expats the minute they start talking and there is a lot of 'data dump' that has gone on in the past couple of weeks I have noticed in seeing people I haven't seen in a while in the aftermath of this summer of not seeing much of anyone due to the non-lockdown and then the lockdown. Expats get together and tend to talk about some of the same stuff. One of the big ones is visas. The minute expats get together Visas become a major topic; maintenance of visas; sometimes complaints about the Immigration Office. 

Something recently, it just always seems to come up in conversation is this notion that the Chinese are going to "take over" Thailand. On the one hand I understand sentimentally for lack of a better term, why people would look at it like that. Yes, China is becoming increasingly for lack of a better term, dominant economically. They are becoming increasingly vibrant; increasingly dynamic economically. Let's also be honest the US, just the events that have unfolded roughly in the past 4 to 6 weeks here in the latter part of 2021 or beginning the final quarter of 2021, the events that we have witnessed, it is definitely not the most positive set of developments that we have seen. There have been a lot of unfortunate events that have befallen both the United States and various folks that are operating for the United States abroad; it has just been some tough times. So I kind of see where people can get a little bit emotional and not be thinking a little bit more rationally. In my personal opinion I am not overly concerned about a Chinese "takeover" of Thailand. Now, do I think that there will be increasingly a major Chinese influence in Thailand? Sure, certainly but as far as a takeover I am not quite seeing it. Now Thailand was heavily influenced and has been; I think America's influence and I am not saying this because I am an American, I will try to keep this objective. I am not saying this because I have an American background, I am basically saying it and trying to be as objective as possible, yeah I think the United States will continue to have substantial influence in Thailand as much as they have ever had. By influence I mean just part and parcel of being a Treaty ally and doing business; conducting trade; conducting things like military exercises. I don't really see that going anywhere. Now what do I know? That is just one man's opinion but I have been here a little while and I like to think I have at least some basic insight into what will happen. But yeah again, to reiterate China is becoming increasingly influential. As their economic position grows, I think that is probably inevitable.

I originally started thinking about this after reading an article in the Pattaya Mail, that is pattayamail.com, the article is titled: Debates Rage about the Five Future Scenarios for Pattaya. I really urge folks who are watching this video to go read this. Again, The Debates Rage about the Five Future Scenarios for Pattaya, that is pattayamail.com, there is a lot of insight in here, especially expats will take away something from this. Quoting directly: "The Chinese Takeover - This issue first surfaced 10 years ago as hundreds of Chinese tour buses clogged the main roads by day and parked by night near the new generation of glitzy cabarets on Pattaya's Thepprasit road. During the pandemic, the worries have increased as new reports reveal that most foreign bought Pattaya condominiums are purchased by Chinese investors who are now also looking to buy local hotels which can't repay their loans during the recession. However travel gurus doubt that the zero-sum tours will resume on the scale they want were whilst the real estate agents report a falling off of interest by Chinese investors." Candidly, that is not the first time I have heard that. China is having issues of their own. China, I think relative to a lot of the rest of the world had a better economic time of it roughly the past call it a year going back to September last year, although if you go back four months prior to that they had a really difficult time and they are having their own problems. I am not by any means a China expert by any stretch of the imagination in fact but it just occurs to me that you know they have got their own issues in China and I don't think taking over the City of Pattaya or Bangkok or something is really on the agenda especially not in the indirect way of "oh they are going to buy all the condos and then use that to bootstrap themselves into something." I just am not seeing that. If anything, demographically and there is a lot going on, this is not an exhaustive video. That are others out there who can do a lot better analysis into the geopolitics of what is going on; various infrastructure projects, I do get that but the notion that it is being done by subterfuge I think is a little bit strange and I don't think it is really borne out by the facts.