Thai navy left high and dry after China sells it engine-less submarine

中國出售無引擎潛艇後為泰國海軍留下麻煩

Tiananmen massacre comes back to bite China’s military-industrial complex


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — More than three decades after tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square, the consequences of China’s violent suppression of student demonstrations continue to hamper its nascent weapons export industry.

The Thai navy’s Chinese-built submarines will be left high and dry without one necessary component — engines. The design calls for diesel engines to be sourced from German manufacturer MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH, yet due to a EU embargo imposed on China in 1989, Germany is blocking the export of the engines, according to The Wall Street Journal.

According to Germany’s defense attache in Thailand, Philipp Doert, the Chinese had not even discussed the matter with his country before including the German-made engines in their sub plans. Doert confirmed Berlin would not be shipping the engines, not because it had an issue with supplying the “third country” (Thailand) but because the equipment would first head to China’s defense industry.

Upon hearing the news, China’s foreign ministry hit back against the embargo, telling The Wall Street Journal it “has long been inconsistent with the current international situation, the development of China-EU relations and the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the EU.” China hopes the EU will “make a correct decision as soon as possible,” the ministry said.

Yet Brussels, which put a major bilateral investment deal with Beijing on ice last year amid concerns about its human rights abuses, may not feel the same way. Recent days have also seen revelations by U.S. intelligence that China was reportedly open to supplying Russia with military assets, including surface-to-air missiles, ahead of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

In the mid-2000s, when EU-China relations were warmer, some capitals in Europe sought to cancel the arms embargo on China. Yet Washington argued this would damage the strategic balance between China and Taiwan, so although exceptions for certain items have sometimes been made, the embargo has never been scrapped.

In 2020, protestors hit the streets of Bangkok, decrying the cost of the submarine deal, which totalled nearly US$1.1 billion (NT$31.47 billion) for three submarines. Thai authorities responded by postponing the purchase of two of the subs, per the Wall Street Journal.

The Thai navy has said it will renegotiate key parts of the deal with the Chinese, which is likely to cause further delays to the delivery of the subs. There are currently no details about whether the cost for Thai taxpayers will increase as a result.