Chinese foreign minister hosts Cambodian counterpart after ceasefire with Thailand

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday hosted Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn in Yunnan province following a ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand a day earlier.

Wang said China is willing to provide humanitarian supplies to Cambodia for the settlement of displaced people in border areas, according to a statement from the Foreign Ministry.

China has been closely following the tense situation on the Cambodia-Thailand border and remained committed to facilitating peace through talks, Wang said.

He urged Cambodia and Thailand to proceed in a phased and measured approach to promote a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire, restore normal interactions, rebuild mutual trust, achieve turnaround in bilateral relations, and uphold peace and stability in the region.

China supports southeast Asian bloc ASEAN in playing its due role and stands ready to provide assistance to its observation mission in monitoring the ceasefire, he added.

Sokhonn said Cambodia deeply appreciates China's active and constructive role in supporting the ceasefire with Thailand, according to state news agency Agence Kampuchea Presse.

He added that China's continued support for the peaceful resolution of the situation plays a vital role in supporting the full and effective implementation of the ceasefire toward advancing a just and lasting peace.

Cambodia and Thailand signed a ceasefire agreement on Saturday, ending nearly 20 days of clashes that killed dozens and displaced nearly 1 million civilians along their disputed border.

Around 99 people were killed in clashes that resumed on Dec. 8, a day after a border skirmish wounded two Thai soldiers.

In total, 26 Thai soldiers and a civilian were killed in the fighting. As many as 41 other civilians also died due to "collateral effects" of the border clashes, according to Thai authorities.

Cambodia's Interior Ministry said 31 Cambodian civilians were killed.

The truce said both sides are committed to an earlier ceasefire that ended five days of fighting in July, leaving at least 48 people dead and many displaced. That ceasefire broke down in early December.

The original July ceasefire was brokered by the US, China and Malaysia, formalized as an agreement in October at a regional meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

Wang is also scheduled to hold talks with Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow.