China offers to help resolve Thailand, Cambodia border dispute

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BEIJING (Reuters) -China urged Cambodia and Thailand to resolve their border dispute through friendly dialogue, offering to play a constructive role by upholding an “objective and fair” position, its foreign ministry said.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged peaceful coexistence between the neighbours during a meeting on Thursday with Thai counterpart Maris Sangiampongsa on the sidelines of an ASEAN summit in Malaysia, the ministry said in a statement.

“China is willing to uphold an objective and fair position and play a constructive role for the harmonious coexistence between Thailand and Cambodia,” Wang said.

Tension has risen between the Southeast Asian neighbours since the end of May, after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a brief exchange of gunfire at a disputed area on their 820-km (510-mile) border.

Last month Cambodia asked the International Court of Justice to resolve the disputes.

Wang reiterated China’s impartiality on the border issue in a meeting with Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn the same day, the ministry said in a separate summary.

He emphasised security measures to protect Chinese and Cambodians, calling for tougher action to “completely eradicate the tumour” of cross-border crimes such as online gambling, wire fraud, counterfeiting and smuggling.

Referring to U.S. tariffs, he added that China believed Southeast Asia had the ability to cope with the “complex situation” and safeguard common interests as well as those of individual nations.

(Reporting by Liz Lee and Shanghai newsroom; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Clarence Fernandez)