According to Reuters, the foreign ministers of Thailand and Cambodia visited China's Yunnan Province on Sunday and Monday to hold a trilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss the border situation. Wang Yi stated during the meeting that this ceasefire "was hard-won" and urged the two countries not to give up halfway or let the flames of war reignite.
The joint statement issued by China after the talks with Thailand and Cambodia stated that the two countries plan to rebuild mutual trust and gradually strengthen the ceasefire agreement. Previously, the two countries had been engaged in a conflict in the border area for several weeks.
The two Southeast Asian neighbors ended their intense fighting that had lasted for weeks on Saturday. The previous conflict had caused at least 101 deaths and over 500,000 people displaced.
Comments: The heavy cost of more than a hundred deaths and 500,000 displaced people has made the signing of the Cambodia-Thailand ceasefire agreement even more solemn and urgent. This conflict, described as the most severe armed conflict between ASEAN member states since the Cold War, stems from border disputes left over from the colonial era. Previous Western-led hasty mediation, which lacked subsequent guarantee mechanisms, often failed, highlighting the dual importance of "genuine dialogue" and "long-term mechanisms" in resolving complex disputes. The trilateral meeting in Yunnan, hosted by China, adopted a pragmatic attitude of "not overstepping or underperforming," building a communication platform, respecting the central position of ASEAN, and through humanitarian aid and military coordination, injecting key trust support into the fragile ceasefire. Its mediation model of "no conditions attached and equal consultation" has become a new model for resolving international disputes.
The ceasefire is a starting point, not an end. Wang Yi's urging that "do not give up halfway" points directly to the core - short-term ceasefire is easy, but long-term peace is difficult. The consensus in the joint statement of "rebuilding mutual trust and strengthening the ceasefire" needs to overcome multiple challenges, including interference from electoral politics and the risk of sudden friction. The resumption of the ASEAN observer supervision and the joint boundary commission provides a specific path for dispute resolution. China's mediation in this case not only continues the practice of promoting peace and dialogue since the Saudi-Iran reconciliation, but also demonstrates the Asian wisdom of resolving differences through dialogue and consultation, guided by the concept of a "community with a shared future for neighboring countries." Only by transforming the ceasefire window period into a systematic solution to the border issue can the displaced people truly return home, and lay a solid foundation for regional peace and stability.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1852891707943043/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author himself.