Washington’s recent offer of US$45 million in funding to reinforce the Thailand–Cambodia ceasefire is a sign that the US is scrambling to regain the upper hand over China in mediating the rift between the Southeast Asian neighbours, according to analysts.
Announcing the funding on Friday, Michael DeSombre, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said the Thai and Cambodian governments would strive to implement the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords, signed last year when US President Donald Trump was in the Malaysian capital.
The gesture follows a renewed ceasefire on December 27 and trilateral talks with China in Yunnan province a day later, after a month of reignited tensions at the hotly disputed border that resulted in scores of deaths and millions displaced. Both countries have been clashing intermittently since tensions first flared in late July last year.
DeSombre said he was confident the ceasefire would hold, telling reporters that the US “is very focused on promoting a safe, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific, and all of our efforts globally are intended to help accomplish that goal”.
His statement came just ahead of his visits to top officials of both countries to ensure adherence to the ceasefire and discuss efforts for regional stability.
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