🔗 Share this article

Washington has exerted influence on Thailand to reaffirm its dedication to a truce deal with the Cambodian side, warning that trade talks could be halted as attempts are made to prevent a Donald Trump-brokered peace agreement from collapsing.

Rising Border Hostilities

Earlier this week, Thailand declared it was suspending the ceasefire deal, accusing Cambodian forces of planting new explosives along the shared border, among them an incident that allegedly injured a Thai soldier on patrol, who suffered a foot amputation in the explosion.

Following this, a fatality occurred and multiple individuals injured by gunfire along the Thai-Cambodia frontier, raising concerns of a new round of tit-for-tat fighting.

American Economic Leverage

On Saturday, a Thai foreign ministry spokesperson informed reporters that a official communication from the Office of the US Trade Representative announcing the pause in trade negotiations was obtained on Friday night.

He quoted the document as stating that discussions on trade – which are addressing a 19 percent American duty – could restart once Thailand renewed its pledge to implementing the mutual truce agreement.

“Trade talks are ongoing and distinct from frontier matters,” stated another government spokesperson.

Trump’s Tariff Threat

Speaking to the press aboard the presidential plane as he flew to Florida on the end of the week, Trump suggested that he had employed tariff warnings 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,” adding, “they’re doing great. I think they’re gonna be fine.”

Truce Deal Origins

Trump oversaw the signing of a ceasefire agreement, conducted in Malaysian territory this October, and has promoted it as one of several deals around the globe he claims should win him the prestigious peace award.

The most severe clashes in a ten years between military forces of both nations erupted in mid-summer, with exchanges of fire, shelling and aerial attacks leaving dozens of people killed and hundreds of thousands forced to flee.

Longstanding Border Dispute

The two neighboring countries have a historic territorial disagreement that originates from disagreements over maps from the colonial period created by French cartographers. Ancient temples along the frontier are claimed by both sides.

International news agency contributed to this report.