Chinese have proposed a 2010 rebuff to Cobra Gold

In early February, 6,000 U.S. marines and sailors staged the planet’s largest war games in Thailand, which hosted two weeks of beach storming, mock hostage rescues and live-fire drills.This 29-years-running exercise, called “Cobra Gold,” is America’s largest display of military might in Asia. It is also the envy of Chinese generals, who now have their own plans to play war in U.S.-allied Thailand.The Chinese have proposed a 2010 rebuff to Cobra Gold: an all-expenses paid buffet of air, naval and land drills throughout Thailand’s jungles and coasts. The People’s Liberation Army even wants to replicate America’s centerpiece exercise, a full-on coastal assault led by amphibious vehicles, gunships and helicopters circling the Gulf of Thailand.China’s overtures arouse unpleasant questions for the U.S. military, which considers Thailand its oldest and truest Asian ally.“Why do the Chinese want to practice about amphibious landings?” said Ian Storey, Asian military specialist and researcher with Singapore’s Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. “It’s driven by Taiwan. And who’s treaty-bound to come to Taiwan’s defense?”...................................Read More

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