Thailand, Cambodia start General Border Committee secretariat meeting amid ongoing clashes

Military delegates from Thailand and Cambodia convened a meeting at the Thai side of the border in Chanthaburi province on Wednesday to prepare for formal talks regarding a ceasefire and monitoring mechanisms along their disputed border.

The secretariat-level meeting of the General Border Committee (GBC) began at the Ban Phak Kat permanent checkpoint. At around 16:25 local time, the Cambodian delegation arrived for a half-hour preliminary discussion.

Speaking to reporters after the session, GBC Secretary for the Thai side Nuttapong Praokaew stated that the initial talks focused on setting the agenda for a full-delegation meeting scheduled for 09:00 on Thursday.

Both sides have already exchanged their respective standpoints, Natthaphong noted.

In this meeting, both parties will discuss and exchange documents to prepare for the upcoming 3rd Special GBC meeting, which is scheduled to be held on December 27, 2025, in order to ensure the cessation of hostilities and find solutions to restore stability between the two countries, as well as to facilitate a swift return to normalcy, said Cambodian Ministry of Defense's Undersecretary of State and spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata.

Thai Defense Ministry spokesperson Surasant Kongsiri said earlier on Wednesday that the secretariat meeting would take place from Wednesday to Friday.

If these preliminary discussions proceed smoothly, they will be followed by a meeting between the defense ministers of both nations on Saturday, he told a press briefing.

Surasant noted that clashes between the two sides are still ongoing, having already resulted in the deaths of 23 Thai soldiers. As of 08:00 on Wednesday, 42 Thai civilians had been killed and 13 injured in the multi-day conflict.

The Thailand-Cambodia border conflict has reignited since Dec. 7, and both sides have accused the other of initiating the attack.

Thailand, Cambodia start General Border Committee secretariat meeting amid ongoing clashes

Beijing unveiled a new policy package to relax purchase restrictions for non-local families without a Beijing hukou, or household registration and support multi-child families in home purchases, effective Wednesday.

The move aims to stabilize the property sector and better meet residents' housing needs, the municipal government said.

The required period for social insurance or individual income tax payment records in Beijing for non-local families to buy homes within the fifth ring road is reduced from three years to two years, while for homes outside the fifth ring road, the period is cut from two years to one year.

Families with two or more children are allowed to purchase one additional home within the fifth ring road. Specifically, local multi-child families can buy up to three homes, while non-local multi-child families with two years of continuous social insurance or individual income tax payment records can buy up to two homes in the area.

Financial institutions will no longer differentiate between first and second homes when setting mortgage interest rates, instead basing decisions on market mechanisms and risk assessments.

For applicants using housing provident funds loans to purchase a second home, the minimum down payment ratio will be adjusted from no less than 30 percent to no less than 25 percent.

Procedures for new property projects have been streamlined to raise the efficiency of real estate investment.

Beijing further eases home purchase restrictions