The US President Pressures Thailand to Recommit to Cambodian Ceasefire with ‘Threat of Tariffs’
The United States has applied pressure on Thailand to recommit to a ceasefire agreement with the Cambodian side, stating that trade talks could be halted as efforts are made to stop a Donald Trump-brokered ceasefire arrangement from falling apart.
Rising Border Hostilities
Earlier this week, Thailand declared it was suspending the truce agreement, accusing Cambodian forces of laying fresh landmines along the shared border, including one that reportedly injured a Thai military personnel on patrol, who lost a foot in the explosion.
Following this, a fatality occurred and multiple individuals injured by exchanges of fire along the border between the two nations, raising concerns of a fresh wave of retaliatory clashes.
American Economic Leverage
On Saturday, a representative from Thailand's foreign office told journalists that a official communication from the Office of the US Trade Representative declaring the pause in trade negotiations was obtained on the previous evening.
The spokesperson referenced the letter as stating that discussions on trade – which are addressing a 19 percent American duty – could restart once Thailand reaffirmed its commitment to carrying out the mutual truce agreement.
“Trade talks are ongoing and distinct from frontier matters,” said another government spokesperson.
President’s Economic Warning
Speaking to the press aboard the presidential plane as he flew to Florida on Friday, Trump implied that he had used the “threat of tariffs” in discussions with the south-east Asian leaders.
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 ceasefire agreement, conducted in Malaysian territory this last autumn, and has promoted it as one of multiple agreements around the world he claims should earn him the Nobel Peace prize.
The most severe clashes in a decade 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 originates from disagreements over maps from the colonial period drawn up by the French. Ancient temples along the frontier are disputed by each nation.
Reuters provided input for this coverage.
