China's permanent representative to the United Nations Fu Cong on Thursday called for restraint as border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia escalate.
China is actively engaging with both United Nations Security Council (UNSC) members and relevant regional parties, expressing deep concern over the situation, said Fu. The Chinese government encouraged both sides to exercise restraint and voiced hope that peace and stability can soon be restored, he added.
"We know that both Cambodia and Thailand are good neighbors of China and to each other, and also they are very important members of the ASEAN, and ASEAN has a long tradition of settling their differences through peaceful means. We do hope that this time around a peace can prevail again. And as far as China is concerned, we are mediating between the two sides and we do hope that the situation can stabilize as soon as possible," said Fu.
An emergency UNSC meeting is reportedly being arranged to address the matter. China affirmed its respect for the Council's procedures in handling the issue.
Fourteen Thai people were killed and 46 others injured in the clashes near the Thailand-Cambodia border as of 21:00 local time on Thursday, according to deputy spokesperson of the Thai Ministry of Public Health.
Cambodia had not released any information on its casualties as of Thursday evening.
The situation escalated following skirmishes that began Thursday morning. Each of the two sides blamed the other for violating international law.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet urged the UNSC to convene an urgent meeting to discuss the matter.
Chinese envoy urges calm as Thai-Cambodian clashes escalate
