China Steps Up Mediator Role as Top Diplomats of Cambodia and Thailand Meet
HONG KONG:Foreign ministers from Cambodia and Thailand met with China’s top diplomat on Monday as Beijing sought to strengthen its role as a mediator in the long-running and recently violent border dispute between the two Southeast Asian neighbors.
The trilateral talks were held in China’s Yunnan province, close to the contested border region, just two days after Thailand and Cambodia signed a new ceasefire agreement aimed at ending weeks of clashes that left more than 100 people dead and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.
Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said progress was being made, stressing that maintaining the ceasefire and rebuilding trust were the main priorities. He noted the importance of sustaining diplomatic momentum to prevent renewed violence.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on both sides to work together to promote regional peace, stability and development, emphasizing that renewed conflict would serve no one’s interests. Cambodia’s Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn expressed confidence that the ceasefire would hold and allow both countries to return to previously agreed mechanisms for resolving disputes.
According to China’s state media, the three sides agreed to uphold the ceasefire, continue dialogue and gradually restore bilateral relations. Beijing also said it was ready to provide humanitarian assistance to displaced civilians, underscoring China’s growing ambition to act as a key diplomatic broker in regional conflicts.
