[Defense](/Politics/Defense)
Formal request is latest attempt to break impasse over supplying engine
A Chinese navy submarine participating in a parade off the port city of Qingdao. Bangkok-based diplomats are doubtful that the Thai government's latest initiative to finalize a long-delayed deal to buy a Chinese submarine will succeed. © Reuters
MARWAAN MACAN-MARKAR
BANGKOK -- Thailand has formally asked Germany to reconsider its opposition to supplying the engine for a $369 million submarine the kingdom has agreed to buy from China, in a bid to resolve a yearslong impasse that has prevented the vessel's delivery, according to security and diplomatic sources.
Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, who is also the deputy prime minister, has written to his German counterpart seeking clarity about the options over whether a MTU396 engine could be installed in the Chinese Yuan class submarine, Nikkei Asia has learned. The initiative follows a meeting with a senior German defense ministry official.