【By Observer Net, Yuan Jiaqi】

According to China Central Television news, Cambodia and Thailand began to have conflicts in the border area on the 24th. Under the mediation of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar, the two countries agreed on the 28th to "immediately and unconditionally" cease hostilities. However, shortly after, the Royal Thai Army reported that Cambodia again violated the ceasefire agreement and launched an attack on Thailand late on the 29th. Cambodia has not responded yet.

Before the direct talks between Thailand and Cambodia in Malaysia, former US President Trump had pressured the two countries to stop the fighting as soon as possible through tariff negotiations. As a traditional ally, the US also prepared to further pressure Thailand.

In 1954, Thailand signed the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty (SEATO) with the United States and other countries, formally establishing a military alliance. The two countries also issued a joint foreign ministers' statement in 1962, in which the US pledged to have a military protection obligation towards Thailand. Thailand remains one of the core treaty allies of the US in Southeast Asia. The US also designated Thailand as a major non-NATO ally.

On Tuesday (the 29th) local time, Sean O'Neill, Trump's newly nominated U.S. Ambassador to Thailand, stated at a Senate confirmation hearing that if his nomination was confirmed, he would inform Bangkok that incidents such as the Thailand-Cambodia border conflict are detrimental to the Thai people and the U.S.-Thailand alliance.

When asked how to ensure that the temporary ceasefire turns into a long-term peace agreement, O'Neill said, "I think the first thing is to tell Thailand, one of the few treaty allies we have in Asia, that such wars and conflicts are of no benefit to its people."

"They have done nothing to strengthen our alliance relationship, nor can they solve the challenges facing our two countries. They are just wasting lives and wealth unnecessarily," he added.

According to the U.S. Department of State website, O'Neill, who is of American-Japanese descent, is a professional U.S. diplomat. He entered the U.S. diplomatic system after the September 11 terrorist attacks, and was appointed as a senior official in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the U.S. Department of State on January 20 this year.

According to the introduction, O'Neill has completed eight overseas assignments in the Indo-Pacific region, including postings in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar, and Hong Kong, China, and has also served as the U.S. Consul General in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Sean O'Neill, the incoming U.S. Ambassador to Thailand. Video from the hearing

Thailand and Cambodia share an 817-kilometer land border. For over a century, the two countries have been competing for sovereignty over multiple unmarked locations along the border, leading to several small-scale conflicts over the years and causing at least a dozen deaths, including a week-long artillery exchange in 2011.

On May 28 this year, Thai and Cambodian forces had a brief clash in the disputed border area, resulting in the death of a Cambodian soldier. Since then, relations between the two countries have become tense, with both sides increasing their troops along the border and triggering a full-scale diplomatic crisis.

On July 24, Thai and Cambodian forces engaged in fierce firefights in the border area, creating the most severe border crisis between the two countries in more than a decade, with both sides accusing each other of opening fire first. According to reports, the current death toll between the two countries has reached nearly 50, including 30 Thais and 13 Cambodians; more than 200,000 people have evacuated from high-risk areas along the border.

Previously, Trump had pressured Thailand and Cambodia to stop the fighting through tariff negotiations. On the 26th, Trump said on social media that he had called both the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and the Thai acting Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon on the same day, stating that the United States would consider reaching trade agreements with the two countries only if the border conflict ended. Currently, both countries face U.S. "reciprocal tariffs" as high as 36%.

In response, Hun Manet stated that Cambodia agreed to "immediate and unconditional ceasefire". However, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Thailand "principally" agreed to the ceasefire and asked the U.S. to convey to Cambodia that Thailand hopes to hold bilateral talks as soon as possible to jointly determine clear ceasefire measures and procedures, ultimately resolving the conflict peacefully.

Three hours after Trump's post, the border between Thailand and Cambodia saw shelling again early on the 27th, with both sides accusing each other of opening fire first.

On the evening of July 28 local time, under the chairmanship of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar, Cambodia and Thailand agreed to "immediately and unconditionally" cease hostilities starting from midnight on the same day. Hun Manet expressed gratitude to Anwar, Trump, and the Chinese government for their mediation.

Trump also celebrated on social media, stating that the ceasefire agreement was achieved through his intervention. He once again took credit, saying that he had ended several wars in a short period of six months, boasting of being a "President of Peace."

While meeting with the British Prime Minister Starmer, Trump couldn't help but boast, "If it weren't for me, it would have been a very bad war, possibly lasting for years and killing hundreds of thousands. I ended the war, and we are all happy about it."

Some U.S. media analysts pointed out that the U.S.'s active participation in the ceasefire mediation is not only because Trump "remains true to his original intention" and wants to win the Nobel Peace Prize, but also to demonstrate the U.S. influence and leadership in the Indo-Pacific region. As a treaty ally of the U.S., Thailand regularly holds military exercises with the U.S., and Trump's involvement in the Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire issue reflects the U.S.'s intention to compete for dominance in the Asia-Pacific region in military, economic, and diplomatic fields.

It is worth noting that recently, some U.S. media have taken advantage of the Thailand-Cambodia conflict to hype up Sino-U.S. competition. When analyzing the military strength of Thailand and Cambodia, some U.S. media deliberately portrayed Thailand as a "long-standing ally" of the U.S., while Cambodia is said to be closely related to China. The two countries held their seventh "Golden Dragon" joint military exercise this May.

On July 25, Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister of China, stated during a meeting with ASEAN Secretary-General Khun Heng when he expressed concern and sorrow over the recent conflict between Cambodia and Thailand, which caused casualties. The root cause of this issue is the legacy of Western colonizers in the past, and now it needs to be faced calmly and properly handled. China appreciates and supports the efforts of the ASEAN rotating chair to mediate actively, promoting dialogue and political solutions through the "ASEAN way." As a friendly neighbor of both Cambodia and Thailand, China is willing to continue playing a constructive role in easing the situation with an impartial and fair stance.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7532780095182799387/

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