Thailand, Cambodia Sign Ceasefire; Pullback Begins

At the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur, Cambodia and Thailand agreed to the “Kuala Lumpur Accords,” calling for a ceasefire, demilitarized border zones, removal of heavy weapons and deployment of an ASEAN observer team. The accord aims to halt July’s fighting after clashes that killed at least 48 people and displaced about 300,000, though disagreements over the border and nationalist politics remain obstacles. Thailand has begun withdrawing heavy weapons under the agreement, and the U.S. says it expects Thailand to immediately begin releasing 18 Cambodian soldiers as pledged in the joint declaration. President Donald Trump used the summit to sign trade and critical‑minerals/rare‑earth deals with Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia and tied continued U.S. economic engagement to the truce’s durability. Leaders also agreed to deepen ties with China on future industries such as the digital economy and green technology and to deepen supply‑chain integration, with Malaysia committing to cooperate on mining and processing capacity. Analysts caution the pact is loosely worded and that ASEAN’s economic fate remains closely entwined with China despite growing U.S. engagement.