Government officials widely anticipate that US President Donald Trump might offer to increase military hardware sales, while Thailand has heavily relied on China for procurements in recent years.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan on Monday ordered military chiefs to complete inventories this month to enable the premier to have adequate information before his departure to the White House.

One of issues Prayut would raise with Trump would be about the military hardware that the US had provided to Thailand over the past decade – and also what Thailand expected to receive in the future, according to Defence Ministry spokesperson Maj-General Kongcheep Tantrawanich.

However, Kongcheep insisted that did not mean Thailand expected to agree on military purchases from the US any time soon.

“It is a general procedure to make lists of what Thailand needs based on strategy and forward them for the PM’s consideration to provide him with a holistic picture,” he said. “Other agencies follow this procedure as well.”