Beijing: Top diplomats from Thailand and Cambodia kicked off two days of talks in China on Sunday as Beijing seeks to strengthen its role in mediating the two countries’ border dispute, a day after they signed a new ceasefire.
The ceasefire agreement calls for a halt to weeks of fighting along their contested border that has killed more than 100 people and displaced over half a million people in both countries.
Thai Foreign minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow and Cambodian Foreign minister Prak Sokhonn were set to meet in China’s southwestern Yunnan province for talks mediated by their Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.
China has sought to position itself as a mediator in the crisis, along with the United States and Malaysia.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened to withhold trade privileges unless Thailand and Cambodia agreed to a July ceasefire, suggested Sunday that the fighting between Thailand and Cambodia “will stop momentarily” and boasted that the U.S. “has become the REAL United Nations.”
In a post on his social media site from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where he’s been spending the winter holidays, Trump wrote that both sides “will go back to living in PEACE” and referenced his past comments about helping to broker a ceasefire that largely hasn’t held.
“I want to congratulate both great leaders on their brilliance in coming to this rapid and very fair conclusion. It was FAST & DECISIVE, as all of these situations should be!” Trump wrote.
The talks in China aim to ensure a sustained ceasefire and promote lasting peace between the countries, according to a statement by Sihasak’s office.
Wang was scheduled to join both bilateral meetings with each of the diplomats and a trilateral talk on Monday.
China has welcomed the ceasefire announcement, which freezes the front lines and allows for displaced civilians to return to their homes near the border.
“China stands ready to continue to provide the platform and create conditions for Cambodia and Thailand to have fuller and more detailed communication,” a Chinese Foreign ministry statement read.