Trump Urges the Thai government to Recommit to Cambodian Truce with ‘Threat of Tariffs’
The United States has applied pressure on Thailand to recommit to a ceasefire agreement with the Cambodian side, indicating that trade negotiations could be suspended as efforts are made to prevent a Donald Trump-brokered ceasefire arrangement from falling apart.
Rising Border Hostilities
In recent days, Thailand announced it was putting on hold the truce agreement, alleging Cambodian forces of laying fresh landmines along the mutual frontier, among them an incident that reportedly wounded a Thai military personnel on patrol, who suffered a foot amputation in the explosion.
Since then, a fatality occurred and multiple individuals injured by exchanges of fire along the Thai-Cambodia frontier, sparking fears of a fresh wave of tit-for-tat fighting.
American Economic Leverage
On Saturday, a Thai foreign ministry spokesperson told journalists that a official communication from the Office of the US Trade Representative announcing the suspension of trade deal talks was received on the previous evening.
He quoted the document as saying that discussions on trade – which are focusing on a US tariff of 19% – could resume once the Thai government renewed its pledge to implementing the joint ceasefire declaration.
“Tariff negotiations will continue and remain separate from border issues,” stated another government spokesperson.
President’s Economic Warning
Addressing reporters aboard the presidential plane as he flew to Florida on the end of the week, Trump suggested that he had used the “threat of tariffs” in discussions with the ASEAN nation heads.
He stated, “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 ceasefire agreement, conducted in Malaysian territory this October, and has promoted it as one of several deals around the world he claims should win him the prestigious peace award.
The worst fighting in a decade between military forces of both nations broke out in July, 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 dates back to conflicts regarding colonial-era maps created by French cartographers. Historic shrines along the frontier are disputed by each nation.
Reuters contributed to this report.