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China has staunchly refuted reports that it is arming Cambodia in the midst of the ongoing border fight with Thailand that has so far killed at least 33 people and displaced hundreds of thousands.
The denials came when the border conflict went into its third day on Saturday as the two sides traded blames of acts of aggression and violations of international law.
China’s People’s Liberation Army Office of International Military Cooperation (OIMC) deputy director Asia division Senior Colonel Sheng Wei ridiculed the reports as “fake news” perpetrated by “malicious actors.”
“Everything Cambodia’s military uses now is a product of cooperation projects in the past,” Col Sheng said in an interview with The Straits Times. “No military hardware has been supplied by China to Cambodia to use against Thailand since tensions began on the Thailand-Cambodia border.”
Skirmishes broke out on Thursday after Cambodia and Thailand both carried out air raids and artillery attacks across disputed areas of their 817km border. The temple area of ancient Ta Muen Thom was particularly hotly contested between the two Southeast Asian neighbours.
Thailand accused Cambodian troops of employing Russian-built BM-21 rocket launchers and heavy guns, and in reprisal termed as “appropriate supporting fire.” Thailand’s UN Envoy Cherdchai Chaivaivid categorically condemned Cambodia’s reported attack on civilians and public property, including medical facilities, as serious violations of international law and Geneva Conventions.
Cambodia, in turn, accused Thailand of carrying out aerial bombardments far inside its borders and employing cluster bombs, both of which it also claimed were against international law. Cambodia’s UN representative, Chhea Keo, emphasized the nation’s preference for a peaceful resolution, saying that it had requested “immediate and unconditional ceasefires.
“With no air force, how can a small country launch an attack against a country with a military three times its size?” Keo countered Thai assertions of aggression.
Cambodia’s defense budget for 2024 is $1.3 billion with 124,300 active troops, whereas Thailand has a more powerful military with a defense budget of $5.73 billion and over 360,000 soldiers.
As casualties continue to rise and further civilians are displaced, China has called for restraint. A visiting Chinese delegation in Beijing met with Thai authorities and reasserted that all military hardware Cambodia now possesses came from earlier bilateral deals. The delegation noted that no new weapons have been supplied in the ongoing conflict and asked that this assurance be shared with the Thai people to build confidence and preserve regional stability.
