The true test of a great power lies not in its might, but in its wisdom. In mainland Southeast Asia, where old hostilities between Thailand and Cambodia have once again flared, China now stands at a pivotal crossroads.
A series of landmine blasts along the contested frontier has not only taken lives but also displaced hundreds of thousands of residents from both sides of the border.
The humanitarian suffering has been immense, and the delicate peace painstakingly brokered under Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship now hangs in the balance.
In moments like these, influence can either heal or harm. China’s growing footprint in Cambodia — visible in its investments, infrastructure projects, and surging tourist arrivals — gives it the unique ability to help restore stability.
Between January and August 2025, 784,965 Chinese tourists visited Cambodia, an increase of nearly 46% year-on-year, while Thai arrivals plunged sharply for the third consecutive month.
In 2024 alone, Chinese visitor numbers had already surpassed 848,000, making China one of Cambodia’s top three source markets. What these figures reveal is not just economic recovery but deep interdependence.
Yet with influence comes moral responsibility. China cannot afford to let Cambodia’s dependence turn into division — especially when that division threatens to destabilise all of mainland Southeast Asia.
It must use its soft power not to consolidate control, but to build confidence between Phnom Penh and Bangkok.
This can begin with joint humanitarian and demining efforts, supported by Asean and coordinated with the US. After all, the mines that maim soldiers and civilians today were remnants of earlier conflicts that no single country can clear alone.
If Beijing were to work with Washington, Kuala Lumpur, and Manila under Asean’s collective frameworks to launch a Mekong peace and recovery initiative, it could transform competition into cooperation.
This initiative could focus on demining operations, rebuilding displaced communities, and restoring livelihoods along the border. Such an effort would be a bold demonstration that great powers can work together in Southeast Asia without undermining its autonomy.
Equally critical, China must ensure that its growing digital and economic influence in Cambodia does not fuel illicit industries.
The so-called global “scamdemic” — the wave of cyber-fraud, online gambling, and trafficking scams — has damaged Cambodia’s reputation and, by extension, China’s.
For peace to be credible, prosperity must be lawful. Beijing should therefore assist Phnom Penh in strengthening cyber regulations, dismantling digital scam networks, and promoting ethical business practices.
Peace requires consistency. Cambodia and Thailand’s fragile truce, facilitated in Kuala Lumpur earlier this year, would not have been possible without the quiet cooperation of both China and the US. President Donald Trump’s administration, eager to avoid another Southeast Asian flare-up, worked discreetly with Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Asean mediators to defuse tensions. Beijing’s constructive silence, in turn, helped the ceasefire hold.
But peace cannot be sustained through silence alone — it requires stewardship.
China’s leverage over Cambodia should therefore be exercised to encourage restraint, not retaliation. Beijing can press its partners in Phnom Penh to focus on humanitarian relief for the displaced rather than political blame.
At the same time, it should reassure Bangkok that Chinese investment in Cambodia is not a pretext for encirclement. Transparency in infrastructure projects, fair trade arrangements, and trilateral dialogues among China, Cambodia, and Thailand could help ease mutual suspicions.
For Asean, this moment is decisive. The bloc’s credibility depends on its ability to turn its “centrality” into concrete peace outcomes.
Malaysia’s successful facilitation of the KL Peace Accord has shown that Asean can act with resolve when its chair is determined. The Philippines, as incoming chair in 2026, must now sustain this momentum, working closely with both the US and China to uphold ceasefire guarantees and support post-conflict reconstruction.
The displacement of hundreds of thousands of Thais and Cambodians is a sobering reminder that peace is not a diplomatic slogan — it is the difference between hope and despair for ordinary people.
When villages are emptied and livelihoods destroyed, the region’s economic success stories lose their moral foundation.
For that reason, China, the US, and Asean must treat the Thai–Cambodian border not as a theatre of rivalry, but as a testing ground for shared responsibility.
If China wields its power wisely — channeling influence into peacebuilding, economic ethics, and humanitarian solidarity — it can transform this crisis into a model of cooperative security.
It can demonstrate that leadership in the 21st century is not measured by how much territory one controls, but by how many lives one helps rebuild.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.