BEIJING - China on Thursday called on Cambodia and Thailand to remain calm and exercise restraint and achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible, while rejecting speculation arising from the reported use of Chinese weapons.
Jiang Bin, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks when responding to a media query, saying that China has long carried out defense cooperation with both Cambodia and Thailand, including military trade. He stressed that such cooperation is not targeted at any third party, complies fully with international law and international practices, and is of no relation to the border conflict.
He said that China hopes relevant parties will refrain from subjective speculation and malicious hype.
As a friendly neighbor of both Cambodia and Thailand, China is following the developments of the border conflict closely, and is deeply saddened by the casualties suffered by the people of the two countries, Jiang noted.
He expressed the hope that both sides will act in the fundamental interests of border peace and stability, as well as the well-being of their people, and that they will maintain the utmost calm and restraint, achieve a ceasefire at an early date, and return to resolving their differences through dialogue and consultation.
China will continue working to promote peace talks, and will play a constructive role in facilitating a ceasefire and in rebuilding peace between Cambodia and Thailand, Jiang said.
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China to continuously help rebuild peace
Also on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China will continue to play a constructive role in promoting the rebuilding of peace between Cambodia and Thailand.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks in phone talks with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow, respectively.
Both the Cambodian and Thai sides briefed Wang on the latest developments regarding the conflict along the Cambodia-Thailand border and expressed their willingness to de-escalate tensions and ceasefire.
Wang said that as a friend and close neighbor of both Cambodia and Thailand, China does not want to see the two countries engage in military conflict and is deeply saddened by the civilian casualties caused by the clashes.
The intensity of this round of conflict has far exceeded previous ones, and its continuation is detrimental to both sides and undermines the unity of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said Wang, noting that the top priority is to make a decisive move, ceasefire as soon as possible, prevent further losses and rebuild mutual trust.
Wang said that China has upheld an impartial and fair approach in handling the border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand, actively encouraging peace talks and supporting ASEAN's mediation efforts.
He stressed that the Chinese Foreign Ministry's special envoy for Asian affairs has started a shuttle-diplomacy trip to Cambodia and Thailand.
He expressed the hope that both Cambodia and Thailand would take effective measures to ensure the safety of Chinese projects and personnel, and stay vigilant against attempts by certain parties to spread false information and smear China's friendly relations with the two countries.
Sokhonn and Sihasak highly appreciated China's objective and balanced position in mediating and promoting dialogue, welcoming the Chinese special envoy's shuttle mediation. They also expressed the hope that China would play a more important role in helping de-escalate tensions and restore peace.
