The US President Pressures Thailand to Reaffirm Commitment to Cambodia Ceasefire with ‘Threat of Tariffs’
The United States has applied pressure on Thailand to reaffirm its dedication to a truce deal with the Cambodian side, stating that trade talks could be paused as attempts are made to prevent a Trump-mediated peace agreement from falling apart.
Rising Border Hostilities
In recent days, Thailand declared it was suspending the truce agreement, alleging Cambodian forces of laying fresh landmines along the mutual frontier, including one that reportedly wounded a Thai soldier on patrol, who lost a foot in the blast.
Following this, one person has been killed and several others wounded by gunfire along the border between the two nations, sparking fears of a fresh wave of retaliatory clashes.
US Trade Pressure
Over the weekend, a Thai foreign ministry spokesperson informed reporters that a official communication from the U.S. trade office announcing the pause in trade negotiations was received on the previous evening.
He quoted the letter as stating that discussions on trade – which are focusing on a US tariff of 19% – could resume once the Thai government renewed its pledge to carrying out the joint ceasefire declaration.
“Tariff negotiations will continue and remain separate from border issues,” stated a different official representative.
Trump’s Tariff Threat
Addressing reporters on Air Force One as he flew to Florida on the end of the week, the US leader suggested that he had employed tariff warnings in discussions with the ASEAN nation heads.
He stated, “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
Trump oversaw the signing of a ceasefire agreement, held in Malaysia this last autumn, and has touted it as one of multiple agreements around the globe he claims should win him the Nobel Peace prize.
The worst fighting in a decade between Thai and Cambodian troops erupted in mid-summer, with exchanges of fire, shelling and aerial attacks causing numerous fatalities and hundreds of thousands forced to flee.
Longstanding Border Dispute
The two neighboring countries have a historic territorial disagreement that originates from conflicts regarding maps from the colonial period created by French cartographers. Historic shrines along the border are claimed by both sides.
Reuters contributed to this report.
