The US President Urges the Thai government to Reaffirm Commitment to Cambodia Truce with Trade Penalties
The United States has applied pressure on Thailand to recommit to a ceasefire agreement with the Cambodian side, warning that trade talks could be paused as attempts are made to stop a Trump-mediated peace agreement from collapsing.
Border Tensions Escalate
Earlier this week, Thai officials announced it was putting on hold the ceasefire deal, accusing Cambodia of planting new explosives along the shared border, among them an incident that allegedly injured a Thai soldier on duty, who suffered a foot amputation in the blast.
Since then, one person has been killed and several others wounded by gunfire along the border between the two nations, raising concerns of a new round of retaliatory clashes.
US Trade Pressure
On Saturday, a representative from Thailand's foreign office told journalists that a letter from the U.S. trade office declaring the pause in trade negotiations was obtained on the previous evening.
The spokesperson referenced the document as saying that discussions on trade – which are addressing a 19 percent American duty – could resume once Thailand renewed its pledge to carrying out the joint ceasefire declaration.
“Trade talks are ongoing and distinct from frontier matters,” said another government spokesperson.
Trump’s Tariff Threat
Addressing reporters aboard the presidential plane as he traveled to the Sunshine State on Friday, the US leader implied that he had employed tariff warnings in discussions with the ASEAN nation heads.
He stated, “I stopped a war just today through the use of tariffs, the threat of tariffs,” adding, “they are performing well. I believe they will be okay.”
Ceasefire Agreement Background
Trump oversaw the signing of a peace deal, conducted in Malaysian territory this October, and has promoted it as one of multiple agreements around the globe he claims should earn him the Nobel Peace prize.
The worst fighting in a ten years between Thai and Cambodian troops erupted in July, with exchanges of fire, shelling and aerial attacks leaving dozens of people killed and 300,000 displaced.
Longstanding Border Dispute
Thailand and Cambodia have a historic territorial disagreement that dates back to disagreements over maps from the colonial period created by French cartographers. Historic shrines along the border are disputed by each nation.
Reuters provided input for this coverage.
