BERLIN — Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai revealed after discussions with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on May 13 that Germany has definitively stated it cannot sell submarine engines to Thailand due to European Union restrictions on arms exports to China.
“The German minister clearly stated that Germany confirms it cannot sell submarine engines to Thailand because the European Union has a ban on exporting weapons and military equipment to the People’s Republic of China,” Wechayachai explained following their meeting.
Thailand’s attempts to purchase German submarine engines have been stalled for several years, dating back to the military government of Prayut Chan-o-cha, which approved the first of three planned submarine purchases from China worth $393 million in 2017.
The deal has faced significant hurdles since then. In 2020, Thailand postponed the purchase of the second and third submarines amid public criticism over such expensive military procurement during the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. More critically, the deal has been complicated by China’s inability to obtain the specified German-made diesel engines due to EU arms embargo restrictions.
The engine issue became public in early 2022 when Thai opposition lawmakers revealed that submarine construction had stalled because China could not obtain engines from German manufacturer MTU.
According to then-German Federal Military Attaché to Thailand Philipp Doert, Chinese authorities had not consulted with Germany before including MTU engines in their submarine specifications, which was discovered only after the contract between Thailand and China had already been signed.
During their meeting, Wechayachai and Pistorius discussed other matters as well. The Thai side praised Germany for hosting the upcoming 6th United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial Meeting (UNPKM 2025) and congratulated Germany on forming its new government under Friedrich Merz, expressing satisfaction that Pistorius maintained his position as Defense Minister, which reflects stability in defense policy.
Both sides reaffirmed the strong relationship between Thailand and Germany, which has spanned 163 years with continuous cooperation in various fields. Germany remains Thailand’s largest trading partner in the European Union, while military cooperation between the two countries continues to develop positively, covering exchange visits, specialized discussions, educational support, and military procurement.
The two ministers expressed satisfaction with the success of the Bilateral Annual Cooperation Programme Talks and the 7th Politico-Military Staff Talks. Thailand thanked Germany for supporting Thai military personnel studying in Germany, which plays an important role in developing the capabilities and professionalism of Thai forces.
Thailand also expressed interest in seeking cooperation with Germany to develop military capabilities, particularly in cyber and AI technologies, which would be beneficial for modernizing its armed forces.
Thai Defense Minister has requested that Germany consider the possibility of including Thailand in its defense industry supply chain and invited Germany to participate in the Defense & Security 2025 event during November 10-13 in Bangkok.
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