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A deadly border skirmish between Thailand and Cambodia late last month has put China’s neighbourhood diplomacy to the test as Beijing seeks to maintain stability in a region crucial to its strategic interests.
Analysts said China would probably monitor the Thailand-Cambodia border dispute closely while avoiding direct mediation. They added that Beijing might work with Asean to prevent future direct confrontations between troops along a 4.6 sq km (1.78-square-mile) stretch of disputed land.
Thai and Cambodian officials met for the first time last weekend following an exchange of fire between troops that left one Cambodian soldier dead. But tensions remain high over the clash on May 28 in an area known as the Emerald Triangle – where Cambodia, Thailand and Laos meet.
Both sides claim to have acted in self-defence and quickly withdrew their soldiers to prevent further confrontation. But the brief skirmish has shed light on deep-rooted border disputes in the Indochina peninsula, which lies alongside China and is considered a crucial trade gateway for Beijing to Southeast Asia and beyond.
It was also the second armed conflict in China’s neighbourhood within a month. In early May, nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan exchanged missile and air strikes in a four-day conflict. It followed a deadly attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 that New Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based militant groups.
While analysts agreed that the risk of a wider escalation between Cambodia and Thailand was low, they said the recent confrontation might cast a shadow over China’s neighbourhood diplomacy – a priority for Beijing’s foreign policy as it looks to foster closer regional ties to offset pressure from its rivalry with the United States.
“Both Cambodia and Thailand are friendly neighbours to China, and nothing concerning China’s surroundings is a small matter,” said Qian Feng, a senior research fellow with Taihe Institute, a Beijing-based think tank.
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