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Washington has exerted influence on Thailand to recommit to a truce deal with the Cambodian side, stating that trade talks could be halted as attempts are made to prevent a Trump-mediated ceasefire arrangement from falling apart.

Rising Border Hostilities

In recent days, Thai officials declared it was suspending the truce agreement, accusing Cambodia of planting new explosives along the shared border, among them an incident that allegedly wounded a Thai military personnel on duty, who suffered a foot amputation in the blast.

Following this, one person has been killed and multiple individuals injured by gunfire along the border between the two nations, sparking fears of a new round of tit-for-tat fighting.

American Economic Leverage

On Saturday, a Thai foreign ministry spokesperson informed reporters that a official communication from the U.S. trade office declaring the pause in trade negotiations was obtained on the previous evening.

He quoted the document as saying that discussions on trade – which are focusing on a 19 percent American duty – could resume once Thailand reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the mutual truce agreement.

“Trade talks are ongoing and distinct from frontier matters,” stated another government spokesperson.

President’s Economic Warning

Addressing reporters on Air Force One as he traveled to the Sunshine State on Friday, Trump implied 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,” continuing, “they are performing well. I believe they will be okay.”

Ceasefire Agreement Background

The President witnessed the finalization of a ceasefire agreement, conducted in Malaysian territory this October, and has touted it as one of multiple agreements around the world he claims should earn him the Nobel Peace prize.

The worst fighting in a decade between military forces of both nations erupted in July, with exchanges of fire, shelling and aerial attacks causing numerous fatalities and 300,000 displaced.

Longstanding Border Dispute

Thailand and Cambodia have a historic territorial disagreement that dates back to disagreements over maps from the colonial period created by French cartographers. Ancient temples along the frontier are claimed by both sides.

International news agency provided input for this coverage.