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Washington has exerted influence on Thailand to reaffirm its dedication to a truce deal with Cambodia, stating that trade talks could be paused as attempts are made to stop a Donald Trump-brokered ceasefire arrangement from falling apart.

Border Tensions Escalate

Earlier this week, Thailand announced it was putting on hold the truce agreement, accusing Cambodian forces of laying fresh landmines along the shared border, among them an incident that allegedly injured a Thai soldier on patrol, who suffered a foot amputation in the explosion.

Since then, a fatality occurred and multiple individuals injured by exchanges of fire along the Thai-Cambodia frontier, sparking fears of a fresh wave of retaliatory clashes.

American Economic Leverage

Over the weekend, a representative from Thailand's foreign office informed reporters that a official communication from the U.S. trade office declaring the pause in trade negotiations was received on Friday night.

The spokesperson referenced the document as saying that trade negotiations – which are focusing on a 19 percent American duty – could restart once Thailand renewed its pledge to implementing the joint ceasefire declaration.

“Tariff negotiations will continue and remain separate from border issues,” said a different official representative.

Trump’s Tariff Threat

Speaking to the press on Air Force One as he traveled to the Sunshine State on the end of the week, the US leader implied that he had used the “threat of tariffs” in discussions with the ASEAN nation heads.

The US president said, “Today, I prevented a conflict using tariffs, the menace of duties,” adding, “they are performing well. I believe they will be okay.”

Truce Deal Origins

Trump oversaw the signing of a peace deal, held in Malaysia this October, and has promoted it as one of several deals around the world he claims should win him the Nobel Peace prize.

The most severe clashes in a ten years between military forces of both nations erupted in mid-summer, with exchanges of fire, shelling and aerial attacks causing numerous fatalities and hundreds of thousands forced to flee.

Historic Frontier Conflict

The two neighboring countries have a longstanding border dispute that dates back to conflicts regarding maps from the colonial period created by French cartographers. Historic shrines along the border are claimed by both sides.

Reuters provided input for this coverage.