China has offered Thailand, which is now facing political unrest, a no-strings-attached friendship, with investment under the aspirations of its Belt and Road Initiative for the kingdom’s ports, rail and road links continuing despite any internal political unrest.  Said Associate Professor Dr Li Mingjiang, Coordinator of the China programme at RSIS: “The official ties between Thailand and China have been stable and strong, partly because of the challenges that Thailand has encountered in its relations with the US in recent years. There are some negative views in Thai society towards China, but they don’t fundamentally undermine official relations with China.”