META DESCRIPTION: Picture courtesy of Thairath Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said on 20 July in Beijing that discussions with Cambodia on the land boundary cannot currently proceed, after Phnom Penh chose to take a dispute through the UNCLOS settlement mechanism. Sihasak spoke while accompanying Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on an official visit to the People's Republic of China. He said Thailand had also raised concerns with Beijing over tanks supplied to Cambodia, regional scam networks, pollution in the Kok River and illicit Chinese-linked investment. UNCLOS route blocks direct talks China had offered to help facilitate a restoration of relations between Thailand and Cambodia, Sihasak said. Thailand, however, maintained that bilateral negotiations were the most suitable way to resolve the problem. Those discussions cannot now move ahead because Cambodia has opted for dispute settlement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS, rather than direct negotiations, he said. Asked whether the move had reduced the prospect of talks, Sihasak said: "At the moment, the door is closed. There is still no opportunity to talk about the land boundary, so it is difficult." He said Thailand had told China that deliveries of military equipment, including tanks, to Cambodia could affect efforts to reduce tensions while the relationship between Bangkok and Phnom Penh remained sensitive and fragile. Thailand asked China to consider the consequences for regional stability and the feelings of all sides. Scams, Myanmar and Kok River pollution Thailand also discussed regional security with China, particularly action against scammer networks and transnational crime. Sihasak said the problem linked several countries and required systematic cooperation involving Myanmar, Cambodia and China. That cooperation needed to cover law enforcement, human trafficking, money laundering and cross-border criminal networks, he said. Such cooperation is especially relevant to foreign residents who may be targeted by online fraud or encounter scam-related crime in the region. On Myanmar, Sihasak said Thailand and China shared a position supporting Myanmar's return to engagement with the international community. This should take place alongside peace-building and responses to international concerns. Thailand also raised pollution in the Kok River, an issue that has concerned Thai people. Bangkok asked China to provide technical support to Myanmar to speed up the formation of a joint Thai-Myanmar committee for a lasting solution. Thailand raises concerns over grey capital Sihasak said Thailand had also conveyed concerns about "grey Chinese capital". The government accepted only investment that was high-quality, transparent and compliant with Thai law, he said. Although such investors represented only a small proportion of Chinese investors, he said they had damaged public confidence and sentiment. Thailand asked Chinese authorities to cooperate seriously in preventing and addressing the issue, to protect the investment climate and Thailand-China relations. Join the discussion? 21 July 2026
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