Siamese Inter-State Relations in the Late Nineteenth Century: From An Asian Regional Perspective

Abstract

This article examines the Siamese inter-state relations since the mid-nineteenth century by placing them within the wider regional contexts of ”East Asia.” After the conclusion of the Treaty of Friendship and Commerce with the British in 1855 and the gradual colonization of mainland Southeast Asia toward the 1880s, it is generally understood that Siamese diplomatic relations with its neighboring countries were replaced with relations with the colonial powers. However, Thai archival records suggest that there existed continuous negotiations between Siam and other Asian countries, particularly China, and that such relations still constituted an important part of Siamese diplomacy after 1855. By examining a few cases that indicate the importance of the continuing relationship with Asia even in the late nineteenth century, this article proposes a need to look at modern Siamese diplomatic history from a broader regional and longer historical perspective by taking the Asian context into consideration.