

Sure they can write laws making it illegal to claim the king of Thailand is a doddering old fool anywhere in the world. Good for them.
They have no legal right to enforce it on me, though. If I visit their country, of course, I will be subject to their laws. But they can’t apply it to me until then.
One reason might be shipping. A car probably takes up the same space in a shipping container as four cars worth of steel.
I don’t know where the break even point is. But it’s likely to be more complex than you describe.