Thailand, Cambodia begin truce talks as fighting drags on

BANGKOK – Talks aimed at seeking a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia got under way in Malaysia on July 28, as a festering frontier territorial dispute dragged into a fifth day of open combat.

Thailand’s Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet are

meeting in Kuala Lumpur

, in the office of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is facilitating the dialogue in his role as the chair of Asean.

The ambassadors of the US and China are also present at the meeting, a Malaysian official said.

The first talks since clashes began on July 24 come within 48 hours of US President Donald Trump saying Thai and Cambodian leaders had agreed to “quickly work out a ceasefire”.

After separate calls with Mr Phumtham and Mr Hun Manet on July 26, Mr Trump had threatened that Washington will not do a trade deal with either country as long as the fighting continued.

The clashes continued into early morning on July 28 ahead of the talks, with the Thai army reporting fighting in multiple locations along the border. Cambodia’s Defence Ministry said Thai forces used heavy shelling at two locations from around 3am, the Khmer Times reported, citing a spokesperson. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said

US officials are on the ground in Malaysia

. China, the top trading partner for both the South-east Asian nations and a major backer of Phnom Penh, is due to participate in the talks, officials from Cambodia said.

“Both President Trump and I remain engaged with our respective counterparts for each country and are monitoring the situation very closely,” Mr Rubio said in a statement. “We want this conflict to end as soon as possible.”

Mr Trump’s tariff threat set off a flurry of diplomatic activities on July 27, with Mr Anwar eventually getting the two sides to agree to meet. Mr Rubio also spoke to the foreign ministers of Thailand and Cambodia and urged them to immediately de-escalate tensions, while offering US help in future talks.

Speaking to reporters just before meeting European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on July 27, Mr Trump acknowledged the phone calls with the two leaders.

“I called the prime ministers of each and I said, ‘We’re not going to make a trade deal unless you settle the war.’ A lot of people killed,” Mr Trump said. “And I think by the time I got off, I think they want to settle now.”

With

Mr Trump’s Aug 1 tariff deadline

looming, trade-reliant Thailand wants to avoid antagonising the US President, especially as its officials have been holding talks to lower the steep 36 per cent planned levy on its exports. Mr Trump has claimed credit for helping halt border clashes earlier in 2025 between India and Pakistan by leveraging trade measures, and is now applying similar pressure in South-east Asia.

“When all is done, and Peace is at hand, I look forward to concluding our Trading Agreements with both!,” Mr Trump said on Truth Social after speaking to Thai and Cambodian leaders on July 26. 

Thailand’s trade talks with the US have included offering expanded access for American goods in an effort to narrow a US$46 billion (S$59 billion) trade surplus with Washington. Neighbouring Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam have already secured trade deals with the US in recent weeks.

Thailand and Cambodia should not have needed the pressure from Mr Trump, and should have turned to Asean as a natural middle ground to mediate the conflict well before US intervention, said Dr Fuadi Pitsuwan, a lecturer in international relations at Thammasat University in Bangkok.

“In the end, Trump will likely frame the situation as a win: he enforced a ceasefire while securing leverage” to impose punitive tariff rates, he said.

Despite the economic stakes, Thailand has taken a firm stance ahead of talks on July 28. Officials say any ceasefire must be tied to bilateral resolution of the dispute, the withdrawal of troops and a halt to the use of lethal weapons. Cambodia, by contrast, has said it is open to an unconditional cessation of hostilities.

The talks are “intended to listen to all proposals that could contribute to restoring peace”, Thai government spokesman Jirayu Houngsub said. “The Thai government remains committed to defending the nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Every square inch of it.”

The conflict, which escalated from months of simmering border tension, has killed more than 30 people and displaced over 150,000 civilians on both sides. Thailand has reported 22 fatalities, including eight soldiers, while Cambodia has confirmed 13 deaths, including five military personnel.

Heavy artillery fire continued on July 27 across the 800km border, with both sides accusing each other of targeting civilians. Thailand has responded by deploying F-16s and Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets to strike Cambodian military positions.

Thailand and Cambodia share a history of border disputes, though relations have remained largely stable since a deadly 2011 clash that left dozens dead. The last major flare-up centered on the Preah Vihear temple, a historic flashpoint rooted in colonial-era disagreements.

Much of the current dispute stems from maps drawn on differing interpretations of early 20th-century Franco-Siamese treaties, which defined the border between Thailand and Cambodia, then part of French Indochina. BLOOMBERG