China says supports Thailand, Cambodia reconciliation
Beijing - China expressed support for Thailand and Cambodia in resolving their border dispute and offered to provide assistance based on the wishes of both nations, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday.
Wang said China supports the Southeast Asian countries in strengthening dialogue, and hopes they rebuild mutual trust and restore friendship, according to two statements from his ministry.
He met his Thai and Cambodian counterparts separately on the sidelines of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting in China's southwestern Yunnan province, readouts of the meetings showed.
Thailand and Cambodia have wrangled for decades over border territory and have been on a conflict footing since the killing of a Cambodian soldier in a skirmish late in May.
Clashes had turned deadly in the worst fighting in more than a decade before a ceasefire was struck in late July.
Wang spoke about China's readiness to accelerate the China-Thailand railway construction, encourage more investments from Chinese enterprises in Thailand, and to ensure the stability of regional production and supply chain.
It is hoped that Thailand will provide more policy support and facilitation for Chinese enterprises, he said to Thailand's Maris Sangiampongsa.
In his meeting with Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, Wang sounded support for Cambodia maintaining political stability, and said China is appreciative of the country's crackdown on online gambling and wire fraud.
He also expressed hopes that Cambodia will continue strong measures for joint efforts in the region against cross-border criminal activities.
For years, criminal networks have trafficked hundreds of thousands of people to scam compounds across Southeast Asia, including many along the Thai-Myanmar border, where victims are forced to work in illegal online schemes, according to the United Nations.
China this year has stepped up efforts with the region to stymie the scam operations after cases involving Chinese victims blew up on domestic social media.