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“We haven’t resolved everything, but I think we are making progress in the right direction and we have to keep up the momentum,� Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow told reporters after the meeting in Yunnan province. He said chief priorities are to ensure a sustained ceasefire and continue rebuilding trust.

It was noteworthy that the meeting was held in Yunnan, much nearer to the dispute and to Southeast Asia, rather than in Beijing, the Chinese capital and seat of government about 1,300 miles (2,500 kilometers) northeast.

The meetings represented China’s latest efforts to strengthen its role as an international mediator and, in particular, its influence in Asian regional crises. As China grows and becomes more of an economic and political force regionally and globally, Beijing has spent the past decade and more working in various ways to increase its voice as a third party in diplomatic matters.

Hopes for peace expressed

During the meeting Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for joint efforts to promote regional peace, stability and development — language typical for China in such situations.

“Allowing the flames of war to be reignited is absolutely not what the people of the two countries want and not what China, as your friend, wants to see. Therefore, we should resolutely look ahead and move forward,� Wang said.

Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said he believed the latest ceasefire would last and would create an environment for both nations to resume previously agreed-upon ways to settle differences, according to a Chinese interpreter. Sihasak also expressed hopes for peace with neighboring countries, the interpreter said.

After the meeting, Chinese official news agency Xinhua quoted Wang as saying the two nations reached a consensus to move forward with the ceasefire without reversal, maintain dialogue and restore ties between the two countries step by step.

A statement released by Xinhua, the Cambodian state news agency Agence Kampuchea Presse and the Thai Foreign Ministry said the three sides had in-depth exchanges on maintaining the ceasefire. The next key step, it said: to work toward resuming normal exchanges. China said it was ready to provide immediate humanitarian assistance for displaced residents.

The two Southeast Asian countries, alongside China, also agreed to take more robust measures to combat transnational crimes, including telecom and online scams, the statement said.

Sihasak and Prak Sokhonn had also held separate meetings with Wang on Sunday, the first day of the two-day gathering.

Disputes persist

The two Southeast Asian countries originally reached a ceasefire in July. It was and pushed through under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened to withhold trade privileges unless Thailand and Cambodia agreed. The preliminary pact was followed by a more detailed .

But Thailand and Cambodia carried on a bitter propaganda war, with minor, cross-border violence continuing. The tensions erupted into heavy fighting in early December.

The Saturday agreement calls for Thailand, after the ceasefire has held for 72 hours, to repatriate 18 Cambodian soldiers since the earlier fighting in July. Their release has been a major demand of the Cambodian side.

The agreement also calls on both sides to adhere to international agreements against deploying , a major concern of Thailand.

The Thai Foreign Ministry on Monday said in a statement that its country would consider the release of 18 Cambodian soldiers after the ceasefire observation period and requested, in turn, that Cambodia facilitate the return of Thais along the border.

Also Monday, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet issued a statement to all Cambodian combatants along the Thai border. “Even though we can still fight," he said, “as a small country we still have nothing to gain from prolonging the fighting for a long time.�

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Sopheng Cheang in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and Liu Zheng in Beijing contributed to this report.