China has offered Thailand its Type 054-class Jiankai frigate to meet the requirement for a multipurpose frigate for the Royal Thai Navy (RTN), while Lockheed Martin has confirmed that it is considering offering the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), thus potentially putting Beijing and Washington in direct competition in a major competition.Sources confirmed to IHS Jane's that preliminary discussions between Thailand and China have commenced over the potential deal, in which China has said it is prepared to sell to the RTN three Type 054-class vessels at a cost that will meet the programme's budget of USD1 billion.
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