The US President Urges Thailand to Recommit to Cambodian Ceasefire with Trade Penalties
The United States has applied pressure on Thailand to recommit to a ceasefire agreement with Cambodia, warning that trade talks could be suspended as efforts are made to prevent a Donald Trump-brokered ceasefire arrangement from falling apart.
Border Tensions Escalate
Earlier this week, Thai officials declared it was suspending the ceasefire deal, alleging Cambodia of laying fresh landmines along the mutual frontier, including one that allegedly wounded a Thai military personnel on duty, who lost a foot in the blast.
Following this, a fatality occurred and several others wounded by exchanges of fire along the Thai-Cambodia frontier, raising concerns of a fresh wave of retaliatory clashes.
American Economic Leverage
Over the weekend, a Thai foreign ministry spokesperson informed reporters 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 document as saying that discussions on trade – which are addressing a 19 percent American duty – could resume once the Thai government renewed its pledge to carrying out the mutual truce agreement.
“Tariff negotiations will continue and remain separate from border issues,” stated a different official representative.
President’s Economic Warning
Addressing reporters aboard the presidential plane as he traveled to the Sunshine State on Friday, Trump implied that he had used the “threat of tariffs” in calls with the ASEAN nation heads.
The US president said, “I stopped a war just today through the use of tariffs, the threat of tariffs,” continuing, “they are performing well. I believe they will be okay.”
Ceasefire Agreement Background
The President witnessed the finalization of a peace deal, conducted in Malaysian territory this last autumn, 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 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 conflicts regarding maps from the colonial period created by French cartographers. Historic shrines along the border are disputed by each nation.
Reuters contributed to this report.
