Chinese Foreign Ministry

After a ceasefire agreement was reached by Cambodia and Thailand on Saturday, it was announced by a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson that at the invitation of Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia Prak Sokhonn and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand Sihasak Phuangketkeow will lead delegations to meet in Yunnan from Sunday to Monday.

According to a separate Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson's remarks released on Saturday evening, representatives of the militaries of the three countries will also take part in the talks.

Earlier on the same day, Thailand and Cambodia agreed to a ceasefire that took effect from 12:00 noon (local time), according to a joint statement released after the third Special Cambodia-Thailand General Border Committee meeting.

Both sides agreed to maintain current troop deployments without further movement, and that no troop movements or patrols would be conducted toward the other side's positions, read the statement issued by Cambodia and Thailand.

China welcomes such a decision, according to a foreign ministry spokesperson's statement released on Saturday.

"This proves that dialogue and consultation is a viable and effective way to resolve complex disputes. China stands ready to continue to provide platform and create conditions for Cambodia and Thailand to have fuller and more detailed communication," it commented.

"China will play a constructive role in its own way for Cambodia and Thailand to consolidate the ceasefire, resume exchanges, rebuild political trust, achieve turnaround in bilateral relations and uphold regional peace, it said.

According to Reuters, the ceasefire was holding about two hours after it went into effect at noon, and "so far there's been no report of gunfire," citing a Thai Defense Ministry spokesperson. The Cambodian side also did not report any clashes, the media outlet reported.

Following the ceasefire, several global stakeholders have welcomed the decision and expressed hope for the two sides in conflict to carry on with the de-escalation efforts. The United Nations human rights office wrote on X on Saturday that its chief, Volker Turk, hopes this will "pave the way for confidence building and peace." Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also posted on Facebook that this "reflects a shared recognition that restraint is required, above all in the interest of civilians." "These provide a basis for stability, and I am hopeful that both sides will carry them out faithfully," said the Malaysian leader, under whose mediation an agreement on the ceasefire was reached between Thailand and Cambodia in July.

Since this round of tensions between Thailand and Cambodia broke out on December 7, China has been following the border conflict and working actively to de-escalate the situation. On December 18, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had separate phone calls with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn and Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow, both of whom highly appreciated China's objective and just position in mediating and promoting peace talks.

Meanwhile, a special envoy from China visited Cambodia and Thailand for shuttle diplomacy from December 18 to 23. The two Southeast Asian countries expressed gratitude to China for its continued efforts to encourage peace talks in a manner acceptable to all parties. They also expressed their willingness to maintain close communication with China, work together to de-escalate tensions, and restore peace and stability in the Cambodia-Thailand border area at an early date.

Global Times