BEIJING – China enthusiastically endorsed a fresh ceasefire pact between Cambodia and Thailand on Saturday, announcing high-level meetings to bolster peace after weeks of the fiercest border skirmishes in years between the Southeast Asian rivals.
The agreement, inked on December 27, marks the second truce in recent months and underscores Beijing’s push for dialogue as the best path to untangling thorny territorial disputes. China’s Foreign Ministry highlighted the deal in a late-day statement on its website, praising it as proof that “dialogue and consultation are practical and effective ways to resolve complex disputes.
“Foreign Minister Wang Yi will host his counterparts, Cambodia’s Prak Sokhonn and Thailand’s Sihasak Phuangketkeow in China’s southwestern Yunnan province over December 28-29. Military officials from all three nations will join the talks, signaling a comprehensive approach to de-escalation.
Beijing pledged ongoing support, vowing to “provide a platform and facilitate more substantive and detailed communication” between the neighbors. “China will play a constructive role in its own way to help Cambodia and Thailand consolidate the ceasefire, resume exchanges, rebuild political mutual trust, achieve a turnaround in relations, and maintain regional peace,” the ministry affirmed.
The clashes had escalated tensions along their shared border, raising fears of broader instability in a region already navigating geopolitical shifts. This diplomatic intervention positions China as a key mediator in Southeast Asian affairs