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On the other hand, Thailand was slow to open formal ties with the PRC, but it has always upheld the most flexible and accommodating regulations towards its Chinese community. This flexibility is due to the Thai government’s domestic policies, which have not harshly discriminated against minorities, and also because many Thai people, especially those in high positions, have some Chinese ancestry. Furthermore, a historically amicable relationship between the royal courts of China and Thailand has helped Thai rulers to treat the Chinese with equality in relation to Thai citizens. This in turn has facilitated the assimilation of the Chinese into the local society.
Finally, this book elaborates on how the ethnic Chinese in modern Thailand have acted as a channel for understanding and cooperation between the Thai and Chinese governments. The ethnic Chinese helped Thailand and the PRC build an amicable relationship during the most critical period of their modern relationship: the post-World War II era (1945–1984). The two nations’ positive relationship actually was established in the 13th century during the Thai Kingdom in the Sukhothai epoch. Recently, however, after the anti-communist era in Thailand following the Chinese Communists’ coup in 1949, the ethnic Chinese became the essential mediator between the two nations, and the ethnic Chinese prospered from this role.
Research Methodology
The discussion of the literature on overseas Chinese in Thailand demonstrates that the information used in the analyses is not up to date, and hence those analyses may not be the best reflection of the situation of the Chinese community in Thailand today. The primary task of this book was to collect new information to determine whether or not the prevalent Skinnerian paradigm is still relevant. My research relies on 1) public documentary research, 2) extensive interviews with ethnic Chinese in Thailand, Thai and Chinese officials both in Thailand and the PRC, Thai and ethnic Chinese business people both in Thailand and the PRC, and surveys with the ethnic Chinese in Bangkok.