Thailand has been seeking to maintain close relations both with the West and countries such as China and Russia. Amid growing tensions between major powers, the Thai government held a roundtable to discuss foreign policy.

The Thai foreign ministry organized the discussion, which was attended by officials, academics and business leaders.

A senior ministry official said that Thailand is in a bid to join the OECD and expand free trade with western nations. Another official added that the country is also aiming to join BRICS, which includes China and Russia.

Jittipat Poonkham, an Associate Professor at Thammasat University, said Thailand should stay an equal distance between the US and China over issues such as the South China Sea. He said: "We can't take sides, we need to avoid doing so for our national interests and for international principle. This is our strategy."

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura said his country has the right to choose the best way forward for the country.

He said: "We are bridging the differences and we see a lot of commonalities, actually, between them. We try to engage both China and the US constructively."

The spokesperson added that Thailand is willing to act as a window for the US and China to communicate with other countries in the region.