China hosts trilateral talks in bid to cement Thailand-Cambodia truce
Top diplomat Wang Yi to meet Thai and Cambodian counterparts as Beijing seeks to solidify its role as international mediator
At Wang’s invitation, his Cambodian counterpart Prak Sokhonn and Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow will meet in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan, according to the Chinese government.
The announcement on Saturday came hours after Phnom Penh and Bangkok signed a joint statement in which they agreed to an “immediate” ceasefire with effect from noon on Saturday local time, halting about three weeks of fighting that had spread to almost every border province on both sides, leaving at least 47 people dead and more than a million displaced.
The Chinese foreign ministry said on Saturday that Beijing welcomed the truce reached between Thailand and Cambodia and was committed to helping the two neighbours engage in “fuller and more detailed communication”.
Representatives of the three countries’ militaries would also take part in the Yunnan talks from Sunday to Monday, the ministry said in a statement.