The US President Urges the Thai government to Reaffirm Commitment to Cambodia Truce with Tariff Warnings
The United States has applied pressure on the Thai administration to reaffirm its dedication to a truce deal with Cambodia, stating that trade talks could be paused as attempts are made to stop a Trump-mediated peace agreement from collapsing.
Border Tensions Escalate
In recent days, Thai officials declared it was putting on hold the truce agreement, accusing Cambodia of planting new explosives along the shared border, among them an incident that allegedly wounded a Thai military personnel on duty, who suffered a foot amputation in the blast.
Since then, a fatality occurred and several others wounded by gunfire along the Thai-Cambodia frontier, raising concerns of a new round of retaliatory clashes.
American Economic Leverage
On Saturday, a Thai foreign ministry spokesperson told journalists that a official communication from the Office of the US Trade Representative announcing the suspension of trade deal talks was obtained on Friday night.
He quoted the letter as stating that discussions on trade – which are addressing a 19 percent American duty – could restart 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.
President’s Economic Warning
Addressing reporters on Air Force One as he flew to Florida on the end of the week, the US leader implied that he had used the “threat of tariffs” in calls with the ASEAN nation heads.
The US president said, “Today, I prevented a conflict using tariffs, the menace of duties,” adding, “they’re doing great. I think they’re gonna be fine.”
Ceasefire Agreement Background
Trump oversaw the signing of a peace deal, conducted in Malaysian territory this October, and has touted it as one of multiple agreements around the globe he says should earn him the Nobel Peace prize.
The worst fighting in a decade between military forces of both nations erupted in mid-summer, with gunfire, artillery and airstrikes leaving dozens of people killed and 300,000 displaced.
Longstanding Border Dispute
The two neighboring countries have a longstanding border dispute that dates back to disagreements over maps from the colonial period created by French cartographers. Ancient temples along the frontier are disputed by each nation.
Reuters contributed to this report.