BANGKOK: US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta arrived in Thailand on Thursday as part of an Asian tour designed to beef up security ties across the region as a counterweight to China’s rise.

A possible reopening of US military contacts with neighboring Myanmar for the first time since the 1980s are also expected to feature in Panetta’s talks in Bangkok. Panetta’s visit to Bangkok marks the first face-to-face talks between US and Thai defense ministers since 2008, and comes days before President Barack Obama is due in the region for a tour of Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar.

Thai-US military relations have deep roots, dating back to the Korean war, but American officials said the Pentagon wanted to restore a more strategic dialogue to complement lower-level contacts between military units.

The United States suspended military aid to Thailand after a 2006 coup but reinstated the assistance after elections in December 2007.

However, Thailand’s domestic turbulence has diminished Bangkok’s importance for Washington, which is building up partnerships in Southeast Asia. The “rebalance” to the Pacific is fuelled by American worries over China’s growing military might and its tough stance on territorial disputes.

Thailand’s airbases and ports remain vital to the US military’s logistical network in Asia and the Pentagon continues to hold dozens of drills every year with Bangkok, including the elaborate annual Cobra Gold exercise that involved nearly 13,000 troops from 24 countries last year.