...i have good joke about why Asians give us primate regarding some planets... after high Chinese, Japanese, Korean etc. delegations and scientists visiting taverns in Serbia (but also Greece and Turkey) they were amazed and concluded: "wow, if they can survive in such atmosphere they are perfect humans to land on some outer Solar system planet"

...of course, before smoking was restricted, but we like unfavorable conditions, so joke is solid ;
something else, my Thai friends... don't know how it is precisely with you, considering title of my thread "history & modernity", but it really is curious and interesting in our case... how we ended where we are and are "running in circles". You know what is funny - we had one brilliant satire-writer, translated to many languages (maybe even east Asian?) who wrote best parts 130 and 120 years ago, and his themes from short (or semi-long) satirical stories are almost same like today... he wrote about "leader figure", about people standing in line to get stamp on forehead, about quasi-nationalism and quasi-values of elite but also naive masses, even about Kosovo being outside and so on in very funny way in various works, short stories.... (generally some things can be pan-European of the time, so it is why he was translated wider) ...would like to hear about Thailand (country with such long independent traditions) or Japan - China was de facto under foreign rule then so relatively new as "modern state" but old civ

- and how many of satirical topics still do exist there 130 years later, for example
in our case it is esp. interesting considering such long "traditions" i.e. feminist ideas for long, since middle ages

or as Wiki and some scholars claim how our first uprising was "first national-burgeoisie revolution in whole East of West" (and not so long after American & French revolutions), so many advanced parties and many of them, so many (quasi-free)-masons in govt since early and even - imagine - first modern king abdicating by parliament pressure, democratically, such rare thing globally but we did it etc etc etc... and here we are, after all

and even our size was with good governance our advantage, considering all those "historical successes" and we could have been among more successful... don't know about you, old friend but we are still somewhere around Mi-Mi & Meiji restoration

hope is that China will turn us into wise Chinese, Japan will turn us into Japane... well, into robots

(just because our both pops are declining, not anything else - actually we are similar mentality and both fun loving), Korea will turn us into beautiful people, Thailand will turn us into Shinawatras and so on and on (Myanmar will for change turn itself into "Yugoslavia of Asia")) but best hopes to them as well, our old friend....
interesting is also - "liked" that detail since we are among first to "open to China", our visa policy by regions - Macau for 90 days, whole China 30 days, Hong Kong 14 days and Taiwan (China or not, we support China and dialogue)) no "visa-free" (reciprocity)... of course not as tourist-info nor destination (tourists, what's good and eternal about them anyway, plus they eat food other people can't, are noisy and don't work)) - but generally interesting how HK got only 14 days, without some reason in that regionalization ; ...but we like all Chinese, B. Lee was very popular in my childhood, we had all his tapes on VHS in family many years ago, not to mention girls (no C girls in family but will be in future ones).... of course we can't put us "on par" with China, i repeat our friend, open to us, investor and minority (as good as Japan & Hawaii) - so I'm proponent, as serious part of the post - of not forgeting nor ignoring "smaller countries" (except Brunei & Hawaii, all other actaully big for us) so I like, for example, idea of recognizing "our origin" of Shinawatra family, giving them citizenship if that was in some interest - but also not about families and persons who were lucky enough to work in the police

and become PM, we must strengthen our ties with 70 mils of Thais above all, and all things we can trade with them... do you like apples, cuties?

(we don't produce tanks anymore or just few yearly) students activity etc. spaceship industry coop, and when we become very rich (our GDP per capita is constantly rising on fearsome level, NO - not because we are smaller in pop annually) we all to have Thailand as prime sea destination

not Japan, so far north in cold seas

nor other powers....as conclusion, history teaches us that when "big and powerful" got themsleves in the "clinch" we suffer, so planning mission Uranus with them can be risky, but never turns out bad when we keep friendship with smaller and it stays. Like Hawaii.
maybe I'll come back if there is some nice line about Asia to add, something historical as well, but generally forcing subjects now but as long as there is something "interesting" to add i'll do it, already have one post in mind but maybe tomorrow when i add pic p... don't have any hopes for pub-life

but take it as some interest, Asia, like talking about you and like you... do join however, we have a lot to discuss. even if it is just some help about historical details. Writing book and doctorate about all Serbs with "White elephant" if you know details

...since I mentioned our need for Philippines ties, did our "stamp-makers" and diplomats use our "pocket ace" that D. MacArthur was wearer of our "white eagle"

visa-free! ...yes, he was but for battles in ww1 where he was noticed by our officers, after 1941 "white eagle" wasn't awarded anymore...