bamboo diplomacy

English

Etymology

The term implies an approach to diplomacy that is flexible and pragmatic, akin to bamboo “bending with the wind".

Noun

bamboo diplomacy (uncountable)

1. (politics, Southeast Asia) A foreign policy of developing and maintaining nonaligned diplomatic relations with other countries, as used by Thailand and Vietnam.
   • 2022, Jittipat Poonkham, chapter 23, in A Genealogy of Bamboo Diplomacy: The Politics of Thai Détente with Russia and China‎^[1], page 34:

     "Since the formation of the modern Thai state in the nineteenth century, Thailand had at least four faces, or myths, upon which diplomacy was based, namely the discourses of independence, lost territory, anticommunism and flexible diplomacy."

   • 2023 December 27, “Vietnam's 'bamboo diplomacy' shifts into higher gear”, in Reuters:

     “Communist Party-ruled Vietnam has upgraded ties with the world's top powers, including former foes, China and the United States, as part of its "bamboo diplomacy", which it has pro-actively pursued since 2021 to navigate rising global tensions.”

Translations

nonaligned foreign policy

• Thai: การทูตไม้ไผ่
• Vietnamese: ngoại giao cây tre