The US President Pressures Thailand to Recommit to Cambodian Truce with ‘Threat of Tariffs’
Washington has exerted influence on the Thai administration to reaffirm its dedication to a ceasefire agreement with the Cambodian side, indicating that trade talks could be suspended as efforts are made to stop a Donald Trump-brokered ceasefire arrangement from collapsing.
Rising Border Hostilities
Earlier this week, Thai officials declared it was suspending the truce agreement, alleging Cambodian forces of planting new explosives along the shared border, among them an incident that allegedly wounded a Thai soldier on patrol, who suffered a foot amputation in the blast.
Since then, one person has been killed and multiple individuals injured by gunfire along the border between the two nations, raising concerns 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 Office of the US Trade Representative declaring the pause in trade negotiations was received on Friday night.
He quoted the document as saying that discussions on trade – which are focusing on a US tariff of 19% – could resume once Thailand renewed its pledge to carrying out the joint ceasefire declaration.
“Tariff negotiations will continue and remain separate from border issues,” said a different official representative.
President’s Economic Warning
Speaking to the press on Air Force One as he traveled to the Sunshine State on Friday, the US leader 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 are performing well. I believe they will be okay.”
Ceasefire Agreement Background
Trump oversaw the signing of a peace deal, held in Malaysia this last autumn, and has touted it as one of several deals around the world he says should win him the Nobel Peace prize.
The worst fighting in a ten years between Thai and Cambodian troops broke out in mid-summer, with gunfire, artillery and airstrikes causing numerous fatalities and hundreds of thousands forced to flee.
Historic Frontier Conflict
The two neighboring countries have a historic territorial disagreement that originates from conflicts regarding maps from the colonial period created by French cartographers. Ancient temples along the border are claimed by both sides.
International news agency provided input for this coverage.
