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Phnom Penh and Bangkok have agreed to extend the timeline for the appointment of a chairperson to the Conciliation Commission of a U.N. arbitration process, which has been sought to resolve the maritime boundary dispute between Cambodia and Thailand, with the Japanese government expected to provide patrol boats to Cambodia as tensions persist.
Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson in a statement on Sunday said that both countries consented to a request by four independent conciliators for more time to select the commission head, tasked under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
“The additional time requested […] will have no effect on any prescribed timeline or procedural step under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” read the post on July 19.
Earlier in June, Cambodia initiated compulsory conciliation proceedings under UNCLOS after Thailand unilaterally withdrew from the over two decades old Memorandum of Understanding that provided a framework to negotiate overlapping claims in the Gulf of Thailand and for joint hydrocarbon exploration.
The dispute centers on about 26,000 square km (10,000 square miles) of sea in the Gulf of Thailand, known as the Overlapping Claims Area. The zone is estimated to hold nearly 12 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and significant oil reserves valued at about $300 billion.
Meanwhile, Japan said it would provide patrol boats and communications equipment to the Cambodian military under its Official Security Assistance (OSA) program, according to the Japanese Embassy in Phnom Penh on Sunday.
The announcement came after Japanese Ambassador Ueno Atsushi and National Defense Minister Tea Seiha signed exchange notes for a 500 million yen (about $3 million) assistance package.
“We hope that this project will enhance Cambodia’s security and deterrence capabilities and contribute to the peace and stability of the international community,” the embassy said in a statement.
Following the 2026 World AI Conference in China last week, Prime Minister Hun Manet met with President Xi Jinping to discuss issues, including the Cambodia-Thailand border dispute.
Xi expressed firm support for Cambodia in choosing a development path in line with national conditions and safeguarding its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, according to a statement by Cambodia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Hun Manet briefed the Chinese leadership on the latest developments in the Cambodia–Thailand border dispute and thanked them for supporting dialogue, reducing tensions, maintaining the ceasefire, promoting a peaceful resolution, and providing humanitarian aid to displaced people.
He also highlighted China’s support for the Funan Techo Canal project and related infrastructure, the energy sector, increasing agricultural imports from Cambodia, and expanding Chinese investment.
Cambodian Asia-Pacific geopolitical analyst Seng Vanly said that the extension to August 14 by UNCLOS independent conciliators to select a chairperson reveals “institutional fragility” and “theater of modern regional statecraft”.
However, he said, the “prolonged legal timeline allows both nations to actively shore up their positions, using the diplomatic intermission to court external patrons and modernize security apparatuses”.
The extended timeline provides more breathing room for both states to project “an aura of rules-based maturity to the international community” while avoiding immediate political concessions that could “trigger domestic nationalist backlashes in Bangkok”.
Meanwhile, he opined that China’s role as a potential mediator will “never be neutral”.
“It is an exercise in soft-power hegemony designed to keep both states economically dependent on Beijing’s joint infrastructure and energy packages while quietly keeping Western influence at bay,” Vanly said.
Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said Cambodia’s decision to pursue the U.N. arbitration process has undermined bilateral trust and made negotiations over the two countries’ land border talks complicated, according Thai media Khaosod reported.
On July 15, Cambodia’ secretariat regional border committee (RBC) region 4 and Thai 2nd army region held an informal meeting at the Choam-Sangam International Checkpoint where Cambodia demanded Thailand to cease activities, such as land clearing for road construction, geographical expansion and the laying of barbed wire in areas within Cambodia sovereign territory.
During a press briefing on Monday, government spokesperson Pen Bona said that Cambodia is ready to move forward with resolving its maritime dispute with Thailand peacefully, in accordance with international law.
National Defense Ministry spokesperson Maly Socheata declined to comment, while Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Chann Rotana could not be reached for comment.
